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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27195997">Shattering the eternal sunset</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JMSanz/pseuds/JMSanz'>JMSanz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Gemini [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>RWBY</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Deviates from canon after Vol 6, Drama, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Ship not the main focus in this one, mostly a setup for my main story, shares continuity with another fic, standalone story</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:52:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>24,282</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27195997</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JMSanz/pseuds/JMSanz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Grimm War nears its final hours.</p><p>The allied armies of Remnant fight together like they haven't done in centuries, trying to contain the unreleting horde of darkness and destruction. But even with their combined strenght, the creatures of Grimm keep pushing them back, slowly grinding down their numbers with each soldier killed and each ship overwhelmed.</p><p>Remnant's only hope lies in a small group of Huntsmen and Huntresses making their way to the core of this corruption. </p><p>Their journey, too, nears its final hours...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Gemini [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1989229</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is going to be a short seven-part fic, and even if it's canon with my main work, you can read it as a standalone story without reading the other.</p><p>Hope you enjoy it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This eternal sunset is unbearable.</p><p>Many terrible things plague the Grimmlands, like the horrible creatures skulking in the shadows, the rotten smell of the black ponds littering the landscape or the treacherous nature of the terrain itself, just as intent on putting an end to their lives as any monster. But the worst of all has to be the perpetual reddish purple of the sky, far more unsettling and disorienting than anything else in this forsaken place.</p><p>They can see the sun rising over the horizon and crossing the firmament on a twenty-four-hour cycle, just like in any other region of Remnant, but the sky remains unchanged, shining in the same dead, stagnant twilight.</p><p>It’s no wonder there's no animal life in this entire continent; no living creature with a normal sleep schedule could survive in this environment without going mad. They’ve spent the last few months keeping a rigorous control over their sleep, forgetting the sun entirely and resorting to their own instruments, and even then they can feel the toll that it’s taking on their bodies; it just seems to affect them on a biological level.</p><p>But they’ve endured, for the sake of the mission.</p><p>The faunus steps on the dark hill overlooking the plains below, a vast wasteland covered by sharp Dust formations and more of those black pools, and drops to the ground to check their objective with a pair of binoculars.</p><p>There it is…</p><p>Just a mile away from her position, the only sign of civilization in the entire land. A lonely castle made of eerie violet crystal, surrounded by a dense ocean of Grimm, like ants protecting their nest. It’s a fitting analogy, Blake thinks, since this nest also houses a Queen.</p><p>"Great… As if dealing with her goons wasn't trouble enough…" a huffy voice whispers next to her, making her cat ears perk up.</p><p>Blake turns around and finds Weiss crouching next to her, her light silver chestplate worn out and her combat skirt completely shred to ribbons after months of battle. Her long braid is still perfect though, a clear testament of her teammate's attention to her looks, even in the middle of this nightmare.</p><p>"We knew it would not be easy," Blake says, going back to scan the horde’s composition so they can form a strategy. Some creatures she knows very well, others she’s fought briefly during the course of the campaign, while most of them she's not seen in her entire life. “But yeah, this doesn’t look good. I don’t recognize half of those, and the ones I recognize are bad news...”</p><p>"Let me see.”</p><p>She hands the heiress her binoculars and stands up, dusting her uniform and crossing her arms.</p><p>“Ursa Major, Death Stalker, Queen Lancer, Goliath, Chimera… Wyvern Minor… That one’s called a Dusk Spinner, I think… That other one attacked a patrol two months ago… I don't know that one… or that one...” her teammate's voice gets more and more frustrated, before she finally sighs and gets on her feet. "This is ridiculous... Ozpin can say whatever he wants, but we're not getting past that without using the Relics."</p><p>Blake hums to herself, rubbing her chin while boring her eyes into the flawless structure, as if trying to peer into the Witch’s mind. "Maybe that's what she wants…"</p><p>“Then it works. Even if we had the battalions here with us, it’d take more than a dozen teams to kill that ma—”</p><p>A sonic blast suddenly thunders in the distance, cutting her off and nearly knocking them off their feet.</p><p>“What the—?!” Weiss grunts, dropping on one knee.</p><p>Blake manages to catch her balance, lowering her stance and staring into the horizon.</p><p>They're more than a hundred miles away, but the fleet of Atlesian dreadnoughts and Mistralian ships is easily recognizable in the violet sky, firing their artillery at the endless cloud of flying beasts swarming around them.</p><p>It seems like one of the massive battleships just crashed on the ground in a big fireball, judging by the pillar of smoke rising from the earth. Hundreds of lives just gone in a blink, like nothing... And that without counting the regular soldiers and Huntsmen currently going through a nightmare on the ground. Her thoughts go to her closest friends and the few acquaintances she’s made during the progress of this Vesper March; she can only hope that they’re safe... still fighting, but safe.</p><p>All of them depend on their little group's success, even if most of them will never know.</p><p>"Come on, let's get back," Weiss whispers grimly, tearing her eyes from the horrible sight and disappearing into the black thicket behind them.</p><p>Blake frowns, balling her hands into fists before turning away as well.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>The dark forest in which they had set camp should've been filled with enough Grimm to drown an entire city, but it’s empty and silent as a corpse. Except for the ones guarding the castle, there probably aren't any creatures for miles around, all of them summoned by their mistress to fight off the allied armies invading her domain. Blake knows it'd be inconsiderate to be happy about it ─since someone out there is dealing with them in their stead─, but it's a welcomed little respite before the final battle.</p><p>When they arrive, they find the rest of their friends sitting around the fire ─having already set their sleeping bags─ and doing maintenance on their weapons.</p><p>Qrow, who's pacing around not far from the rest, is the first to notice their arrival, stopping in his tracks and raising an eyebrow; the bags under his eyes are heavy, but Blake knows they’re not from lack of sleep. "So... from one to ten, how bad does it look?"</p><p>The others quickly perk up, looking expectantly at the two. The youthful and innocent expressions Blake once saw on their faces have been replaced with the sheer determination of battle-hardened soldiers, even if some of them have just turned twenty not long ago.</p><p>Blake tilts her head, flatting her ears against her head. "Well…"</p><p>"A hundred!" Weiss snaps, throwing her hands in the air and storming into the camp before sitting down next to Ruby. "That castle is as impenetrable as our bathroom after one of Yang's 'spicy food' nights."</p><p>"Hey!" the blonde protests from Ruby's other side, screwdriver in hand and her robotic arm's insides on display.</p><p>"That many?" Ren wonders quietly as he sharpens his blades, his tired features illuminated by the campfire.</p><p>“That many doesn’t even make it justice…”</p><p>"And it's not just the numbers," Blake adds, sitting down next to her partner. "From what we've seen, Ursa Majors are probably the weakest… And that's before we go into the ones we don't know anything about."</p><p>Yang clicks her tongue, resuming the work on her arm. "She really saved the best for last, huh? No wonder we've been just fighting the bottom feeders these last few days."</p><p>Ruby chews down on her lip, leaving a folded Crescent Rose on her lap and looking between them with a worried expression. "Maybe I can take care of them. I've been getting better with my powers," she offers, her voice weak but filled with purpose.</p><p>"Not enough to get rid of a horde that massive…" Weiss shakes her head, putting a hand on her shoulder.</p><p>"So what? If I can wipe out even a quarter of them it'll make things easier for us," their leader retorts, darting her eyes between their friends in search of support..</p><p>"Yes... but it will leave you too exhausted," Jaune chimes in with a distant look next to Ren, stirring the campfire with his sword. "Cinder is gonna be waiting inside the castle, and you're our only trump card against her. If you can take her out before the fight even begins, it could turn the entire battle in our favor."</p><p>"Precisely," the heiress nods in agreement.</p><p>If Ruby had any objection, she swallows it and lowers her shining silver eyes. That woman is the greatest obstacle between them and Salem, so scratching her off of the equation could be the difference between failure and victory. It means little if they’re unable to get past that mass of Grimm, but if by some miracle they manage to get inside the castle, they’ll need to take advantage of every little weakness their enemies have in order to win.</p><p>"But, there's gotta be something we can do…"</p><p>The whole team grows silent, weighing their options against these nearly impossible odds. The silence is only interrupted by the gentle crackling of the firewood and the cold breeze whistling through the treetops until, at last, Nora voices everyone's thoughts.</p><p>"How about the Relics, then?" she blurts, eyeing the big bundle of cloth at Oscar's feet. "I mean, we're gonna use them against her lapdogs anyway, so… Why not clean up her garden and get a little practice?"</p><p>“That seems like our only option,” her black-haired partner concurs after a few seconds.</p><p>"No, that's out of the question," Qrow sighs, leaning against a dead tree and shaking his head. "We need to keep them hidden until the right moment. Our whole strategy relies on her not knowing who holds each," he explains, shoving his lanky hands in his pockets. "And as soon as we step into that plain, she'll have a thousand eyes on us… literally."</p><p>"Oh, come on, give us a break! Ozpin's plan is flipping bonkers as it is, but he also expects us to defeat an army on our own?!" the small valkyrie shrieks, stomping the head of her sledgehammer on the ground. "I mean… Maybe I could on a good day, but I haven't had one of those in months!"</p><p>Qrow’s mouth twists, his voice heavy and more tired than any of theirs. "No one said this was gonna be a walk in the park..."</p><p>"Where's that crazy old ghost anyway?" Yang hisses, scowling in Oscar's direction but not really at him. "He’s not even gonna show up to wish us luck?"</p><p>The freckled boy shrinks in his seat next to Jaune and suddenly glances away, as if something had caught his attention; that's what it'd look to an outsider, but they’ve known him long enough to tell when the old man is talking to him in private. After a few seconds, Oscar glances at the brawler again. “He says he needs to rest.”</p><p>Yang rolls her eyes, puffing air through her nose. “Of course he does… We wouldn’t want him to pull a muscle or something.”</p><p>“He says he’ll take care of the Grimm.”</p><p>All eyes are on him in an instant, and even Qrow seems shocked by the declaration, his saggy eyes widening.</p><p>The blonde blinks, her hand with the screwdriver frozen mid-air. “What?”</p><p>“He’ll… He’ll take care of the Grimm.”</p><p>Blake feels the need to clarify the results of their scouting even further, so she leans forward with a deep scowl. “We’re not talking just hundreds, we’re talking thousands… You can’t even see the ground in a radius of a hundred and fifty meters around the castle, <i>only</i> Grimm.”</p><p>Oscar averts his eyes once more… and nods again, turning to her. “It doesn’t matter, he’ll deal with them. You just need to make sure the Relics are hidden until we get inside.”</p><p>That’s… bold, or it would be if they weren’t talking about Ozpin; there doesn’t seem to be anything his magic can’t accomplish. It’s been more than a year since the last time he took over the boy to handle things personally but, if there was ever a better time to unleash all the power he’s been storing up, that would be now. So she supposes it makes sense.</p><p>“Well, that's... definitely a load off our shoulders, Oz. Thanks,” Qrow chuckles awkwardly, scratching his neck.</p><p>“Geez, now I feel awful...” Yang grimaces, running a hand through her locks.</p><p>"He says it's okay," the corner of Oscar's lips curve up shily. "And that we should take this little moment to talk about what we want to do when the war is over, not worry about what's to come."</p><p>Blake cocks an eyebrow, smiling unconsciously at the idea. "So, tomorrow we'll decide the fate of the world... and we're going to chat about our dreams for the future?"</p><p>"He likes to think he's still your teacher, even after all this time," Oscar smiles, glancing at each one of them. "So consider tomorrow's battle as your unofficial graduation."</p><p>Jaune laughs under his breath, propping his head on the pommel of his sword and staring absent-mindedly at the fire. "Graduation, huh? That's not a bad way of seeing it."</p><p>"A little late considering where we are now, don't you think?" Ren points out with an amused grin.</p><p>Nora quickly clings to his arm, shaking her partner vigorously with a wide grin. "It's never too late for a graduation party, Ren!"</p><p>“No… I guess not,” he chuckles.</p><p>"That’s an awesome idea! It would really help getting our minds off this," Ruby agrees cheerfully, smiling from ear to ear and hopping in her seat. “I'll go first. Let’s see, when this is all over…. Mmmm, I guess I’ll stick to being a Huntress if the Grimm are still around.”</p><p>Weiss lets out a cute snort, giving her partner a knowing look. “Wow, who could have guessed?"</p><p>"W-What? You have a problem?" Ruby grunts, sporting a faint blush.</p><p>"No, none at all," the heiress chirps with a shrug of her shoulders, making the rest of their friends laugh and their resident reaper sulk.</p><p>That doesn't come as a surprise to Blake. Of all of them, Ruby has always been the most enthusiastic about being a Huntress, and ever since they set off in this journey, she's fallen more and more into that role. It has come to a point where Blake can hardly imagine her friend doing anything else in life.</p><p>"What about you? Still thinking of going back to the SDC?" Ruby asks her partner, and one can tell by the tone of her voice and her dejected look that she already knows the answer.</p><p>Weiss stares into the campfire, the light making her pale blue eyes glint like gems. “Someone has to take charge before that power vacuum makes the whole company fall. Winter is not really suited for the business world, and she has her hands full with the military anyway. And I don’t want to burden my mother with that mess,” she sighs, rubbing her eyes.</p><p>“And Whitley?”</p><p>Her calm expression turns into a grimace. “My brother could take charge, I guess… but I don’t trust him to make the right decisions, not yet,” she explains, caressing her forehead. “It’ll take some time getting rid of all the poisonous ideas my father poured on him.”</p><p>“I’m sure he’ll come ‘round,” the reaper gently nudges her, making Weiss smile.</p><p>“I hope...”</p><p>“Hey, for what it’s worth,” Blake interjects, leaning forward to sneer at the girl, “I think you’ll make a decent president.”</p><p>“A <i>decent</i>?” Weiss hisses, regaining some of her previous bravado and glowering at her. “What’s that supposed to mean, Blake Belladonna?”</p><p>“Nothing. I’m sure you’ll guide the SDC to a new age, despite —you know— being a little snobby princess,” she giggles, happy to be able to get her friend all riled up. “Just a little, though.”</p><p>The heiress then raises her eyebrows in an ‘oh, really’ manner, setting off all of her alarms. “Maybe you’re not the most appropriate to roast me about my status, Miss I-live-in-a-tropical-palace…”</p><p>Ugh… Why did they have to learn about that?</p><p>Nora starts cackling loudly. “O-hooo! Put some cream on that burn, Blakey!”</p><p>“Yeah, better leave the teasing to the pros, kitty,” Yang comments off-handedly.</p><p>“Oh, shut up,” she purses her lips, warmth rising to her face.</p><p>“And you, Blake? Any ideas for the future?” Ruby turns the question to her, honestly curious this time.</p><p>It’s no secret that Blake has been a lot more reserved about her plans for when the battle is over —Yang being the only one she has spoken to about the topic—, but it’s not because she didn't trust the others —far from that—, but because she didn’t want to let them down.</p><p>Sadly, and despite Ruby’s puppy eyes, that’s what she has to do.</p><p>“Yes... Now that the White Fang has disbanded, I’d like to help my dad reform the group just as it was meant to be from the beginning. We did a lot of damage to humans and to ourselves, and I want to fix that with my own hands,” she nods to herself before dropping her ears with a sorry look on her face. “So as much as I enjoy being a Huntress, I think that’s what I’d rather do from now on.”</p><p>Disappointment flashes through Ruby’s face for a brief moment, but she quickly replaces it with a genuine smile. “That’s very noble of you, Blake. It’s sad to think that there will be no more team RWBY but... I’m sure you’ll make a whole lotta good for the faunus and the entire world.”</p><p>Blake beams at her in response. “Thanks, Ruby.”</p><p>“And who says there will be no more team RWBY, you dork?” Weiss interrupts, nudging their leader’s side. “Do you really think we’re just going to vanish from your life after all we’ve been through together?”</p><p>Her words make Ruby’s expression lit up a little bit.</p><p>“Just because we’re following a different path doesn’t mean we’ll stop seeing each other or something,” she continues, her voice firm and determined. “We’re family, and that will never change.”</p><p>“That’s right,” Blake nods.</p><p>Ruby takes a big breath and smiles at them from ear to ear. “Thanks, guys…”</p><p>Work might make it hard for the whole team to gather, but no matter how long it takes, they’ll always be able to see each other one way or another. They’ll always have time for the three most important people in their lives. At least, she knows she’ll always try to be there whenever Ruby or Weiss want to see her.</p><p>As for Yang, well… Depending on how things turn out, Blake might be able to make a little bit more time for her. That thing they have… whatever <i>that</i> is, they still need to figure it out. Perhaps when the fight is over they’ll finally be able to sit and see where all those fugitive looks and brushing hands will take them.</p><p>But now that she thinks about Yang, she’s been awfully quiet during all this.</p><p>Focusing on the blonde, Blake notices that she’s not even paying attention to their exchange. She’s frozen like a statue, holding her head high and staring into the skies, over the treetops.</p><p>“Yang, you’re missing out on some wholesome team bonding,” Jaune chuckles with a raised eyebrow, beating her to it.</p><p>But her partner doesn’t respond.</p><p>“Yang?” Blake frowns, resting her hand over hers and trying to follow her gaze, only to find the same empty twilight again. “What is it?”</p><p>The girl snaps back, eyes darting between them. “Huh? Oh, no, it’s just… I thought that…” she stammers, stealing one last glance at the sky. “I-It was nothing... What were you saying, Weiss? Family? Yeah! I’m all in! Team RWBY forever and all that, right gals?”</p><p>Weiss deadpans for a few seconds before sighing long and tiredly. “You just ruined it…”</p><p>“Ugh…”</p><p>“What do you plan to do after this, Yang?” Blake asks, slowly intertwining her fingers with hers.</p><p>Suddenly realizing her touch, the blonde peeks at her and starts caressing the back of her palm with her thumb with a sheepish look. Who would’ve thought that the overly outgoing girl was a bundle of nerves when it came to this kind of thing? Blake did not —it never occurred to her, honestly—, but in the past few months it has become one of her favourite pastimes to get that bashful reaction out of her partner.</p><p>It’s just too adorable.</p><p>“To be honest... I don’t really know. I mean, not all of us have some greater destiny to fulfill to make the world a better place,” she jokes, looking between Weiss and her; a rather ironic statement, considering their current situation, but Blake gets what she means.</p><p>“Didn’t you want a life full of adventure and trouble? You know, traveling around the world and all that," Weiss recalls, furrowing her brows.</p><p>"Well… yeah. But haven’t I done that already? We’ve traveled to all corners of Remnant, fought against all kinds of enemies, and got in more trouble than I could ever hope for,” Yang rebukes, waving at their surroundings. “And look where we are now! We’re probably the first people to come this far into the Grimmlands in, like... a gazillion years?”</p><p>“That’s… That’s a good point…”</p><p>"It's not like I don't like being a Huntress but… Ugh, I-I don't know…" Yang exhales.</p><p>“You’re not sure, yet. That’s okay,” Blake reassures her, tightening the grip on her hand ever so slightly. “You can take your time to figure it out when this is all over.”</p><p>The blonde shrugs, slumping on her seat. “I guess.”</p><p>“So I’m the only one that still wants to be a Huntress one hundred percent? That’s a bummer...” Ruby deflates, her mouth twisting and looking around her teammates, who can only smile dejectedly in response. It’s not like they want to leave her alone, but if they were to stay as Huntresses just for her sake... it would be wrong, and probably wouldn’t last too long.</p><p>“I want to stay as a Huntsman, too,” Jaune chimes in, grinning at the girl from the other side of the circle. “This was my dream since I was a kid, and now that I’m finally getting there, I’m not gonna stop. Besides,” he stops momentarily, caressing the little bronze details on his sword’s crossguard with tender blue eyes, “if she was here, that’s what she’d like to do as well. I want to make her proud...”</p><p>The six former students fall in a respectful silence that lasts but a few seconds, all of them staring into the dancing flames. The memory of their fallen comrade isn’t bitter and painful as it once was, but inspiring and encouraging, as shown by the smiles full of resolve on each of their faces. Even Blake, who —regretfully— never got to know Pyrrha all that well, feels emboldened by the girl’s last act of bravery.</p><p>“She is,” Weiss declares with a determined nod a moment later, before quickly correcting herself. “She <i>always</i> was.”</p><p>The young knight's only response is a bright smile, a brief reminder of his old innocent self buried beneath the struggles and hardships he’s been through.</p><p>“Don’t think you’re the only who wants to make her proud, fearless leader,” Nora stands up, sits down between her two teammates and slides an arm over their shoulders with a contagious grin. “Right, Ren?”</p><p>Their quiet companion, for once, follows her lead and snakes his own arm around his two teammates with a lopsided smile. "Of course not. We have to make up for her, the three of us together."</p><p>"Yeah!"</p><p>“I wouldn’t dream of doing it without you guys,” the blonde responds, just as eagerly.</p><p>"That's the spirit!" Ruby cheers, raising her fist before finally turning to the youngest member of the group. "And you, Oscar? Are you going back to country life or have we managed to infect you with our Huntsmen-itis?" she asks, wiggling her eyebrows. At her side, Weiss groans at the awful joke.</p><p>Not expecting to be put on the spot, the brown-haired boy crosses his arms, humming to himself with an unreadable expression. "Mmmm… Going back to the farm would be a nice change of pace after all this, but with everything I’ve learned, all these… new abilities that I have,” he mutters, looking down at the silver cane in his hands. “I don’t know. I feel like I still can do a lot of good.”</p><p>Jaune chuckles and draws Oscar against him, adding the boy to their collective hug. “That’s the Huntsman mindset right there!”</p><p>“You definitely have the skills for it,” Blake comments with an appreciating nod; she doesn’t know if it has anything to do with his bond with Ozpin, but the boy is not really that far from them in terms of skill. It’s quite impressive.</p><p>“If you’ve survived this, you can survive anything,” Ren adds, amused.</p><p>Nora then takes it upon herself to convince him and starts poking his sides. “Come on… Come on... You know you wanna…”</p><p>Oscar titters, recoiling and swatting her hand away. “H-Hey, stop it! I had already made up my mind!”</p><p>“You wanna know what I’ll do after this is over?” Qrow says all of a sudden, speaking for the first time in a while and looking at them with a tired frown, like a parent would with his troublesome children.</p><p>“Keep working as a Huntsman alongside your favourite niece?” Ruby inquires with a proud smirk.</p><p>The gruffy man chuckles. “Nope. The same thing I’m gonna do right now, sleep.”</p><p>“Already?! It’s not even dark yet!” Yang exclaims with a wide grin, making painfully obvious gestures to the Grimmlands’ skies.</p><p>…</p><p>Blake facepalms out of pure habit, muttering quietly into her hand. “Yang, please… Not tonight.”</p><p>“Oh, come on, guys. That’s a good one.”</p><p>“Yeah, it was half-decent the first five times. Now it’s just painful,” Weiss adds with a scrunched up face, like she’s just smelled something foul.</p><p>“Chst, everyone’s a comedy critic nowadays…”</p><p>“Alright, that’s my cue,” Qrow groans loud enough to draw their attention again, before picking his sleeping bag and dragging it away from the group. “You kids give me a voice when it’s my turn to stand watch, okay? And —I can’t believe I have to say this— don’t stay up until late, we have a bit of an important thing tomorrow.”</p><p>“Good night, uncle Qrow,” Ruby waves at him as the man wordlessly wraps himself inside the bag. “And don’t worry, we’ll be ready.”</p><p>It seems like he isn’t going to say anything else, but after a few seconds his voice comes out, almost a whisper. “I know.”</p><p>They go back to their friendly chatter, and for a short hour before they finally turn to sleep it’s like they’re just a regular group of friends camping outside without a care in the world.</p><p>Tomorrow they’ll be soldiers, but for now… for now they can be kids once more.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yang never really liked doing watch duty. From the earliest and more chaotic, when they were still searching for the Relics on their own, to the latest and perfectly scheduled ones that the Atlas military forced onto her, they’ve always been one of the most boring parts of the job.</p><p>It’s not the prospect of waking up in the middle of the night that bothers her, but the tedious silence and loneliness that goes together with it; those long hours of being alone with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company are something she never looks forward to, even if she understands why they’re necessary.</p><p>But when Ren wakes her up that night to take over him, she doesn’t even complain.</p><p>Twenty minutes later, when she’s certain the young man has fallen asleep next to his partner, she gets up and wanders away from the campsite, trying not to disturb the others. She doesn’t walk too far, though. Just enough to get out of ear reach, but making sure that she can still keep an eye on her friends and the Relics.</p><p>As she steps into the obscure grove, she gets horribly aware of her surroundings.</p><p>It's difficult to describe just how oppressive this ‘corrupted’ nature feels, especially the trees. With their unnatural height, their charcoal-like wood and their twisted forms, reaching out with deformed branches that almost look like claws… It’s like they’re creatures of Grimm, forever petrified, but still alive and trying to get their hands on her when she’s not looking.</p><p>They make her feel observed...</p><p>…</p><p>But that's not entirely their fault.</p><p>"Come out or leave us alone, but stop wasting my time. I have to stand watch," Yang utters all of a sudden, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed and drumming fingers on her robot arm.</p><p>The dense dead thicket doesn't answer at first but, after a few seconds, her observer makes herself known. Her flowing black hair blends with the deep darkness of the forest, and she moves around with the grace of a wild predator, with trained steps and not making a single sound. The only thing that could give away her presence are her vibrant blood red eyes.</p><p>“Hello, Yang. It’s been a long time,” her voice sounds raspier than how she remembers it.</p><p>“For someone so afraid of Salem, you don’t seem to have a problem coming to her domain,” Yang spits as the woman walks closer, not even bothering to greet her properly. “Why are you here?”</p><p>Her mother stops right in front of her, close enough for the distant glow of the campsite to illuminate her face. She’s paler than the last time Yang saw her, and she can tell by the dark circles under her eyes and a few extra wrinkles around her face that these last months haven’t been kind to her.</p><p>Then again, gloom has always been this woman’s default mood.</p><p>“The Relics are all she cares about, and <i>you</i> have them, so I no longer mean anything to her,” Raven explains, her tone making clear that she’s not as happy as she should be if that were the case.</p><p>Yang hums, unimpressed. “Good news for you, then.”</p><p>“Not really. Her lackeys have been tormenting us for months,” she scowls, lowering her gaze. “That half-baked Maiden of hers seemed hell-bent on finding me…”</p><p>That’s easily understandable, since Yang and the others spent the year previous to the Vesper March denying poor Cinder of her precious new Maiden powers at every opportunity. In the end, and despite that weird Grimm parasite, the poor and sad woman never got past the one Maiden milestone, no matter how hard she tried; if there is an afterlife after this, then Yang sure hopes Pyrrha is watching and laughing her ass off.</p><p>Both the Winter and the Summer Maiden’s powers are in good hands, and perfectly safe behind a wall of battleships, paladins and Huntsmen. So that left Cinder with a single choice to fulfill her crazy power fantasy: chasing the only Maiden fool enough to stand on her own behind a wall of poorly trained miscreants and lowlifes who would turn their backs on her the moment things started to go downhill.</p><p>“Aren’t you supposed to be like nomads? You know, never <i>sticking around</i> in one place and all that?” she shrugs.</p><p>The taunt either goes over the bandit’s head or she chooses to ignore it completely. “We are, but not so frequently, not when we don’t have enough resources...”</p><p>“Wow... It must’ve been <i>so</i> hard having to find new towns to pillage, huh?” Yang mocks, her mouth curling in disgust.</p><p>If her mother feels offended or something, it doesn’t show, her scowl not changing in the slightest, even when she confesses, “The tribe disbanded a month ago.”</p><p>Yang raises her eyebrows, mildly surprised by this turn of events; that tribe was one of the things that mattered the most to her mother, right next to her own life, so it must’ve been a pretty heavy blow. She wants to make fun of her misfortune, chuckle at the dead end her obsession with isolation and her unwillingness to face her fears have led her, but she doesn’t say anything. Yang is well past resentment by this point.</p><p>“We had settled in Mistral’s northern tundra, where I thought she wouldn’t find us. But I was wrong. Many were killed, and most of the survivors fled the battle,” Raven recounts grimly, pacing around like a caged lioness. “I tried to hold together what was left, but… there just weren’t enough of us to carry on. It was a tough decision, but I thought our best chance of survival was to scatter,” she growls under her breath, the discontent with her own choice more than evident. “If they left my side, they wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire, and with no one to take care of, my chances of slipping through her net are better.”</p><p>For a moment, a part of her believes there’s more to Raven than pure selfishness, right until the woman finishes the sentence.</p><p>“You’ve never been one to be shackled down, huh?” Yang blurts, her tone apathetic. Her obvious indifference finally seems to have an effect on the woman, since she sighs and runs a tired hand through her messy ebony locks. The blonde then moves away from the tree and stands right in front of her mother, her patience running dangerously low. “You didn’t answer. <i>Why</i> are you here?”</p><p>Raven takes a few seconds to collect her thoughts before she faces Yang once more, staring into her eyes with a longing expression. “I want you to reconsider what you’re doing.”</p><p>“Then I’ll spare you the effort. Not gonna happen,” Yang says as she turns around, having heard enough.</p><p>“I want you to come with me.”</p><p>That makes her stop completely. </p><p>...</p><p>“Excuse me?” she asks, peeking at her from the corner of the eye.</p><p>Her mother extends her hand out to her with a solemn expression. “Come with me. We can get away from all of this, together.”</p><p>Yang glances down at her hand, and then back to Raven, her face set in stone. “You’re still a Maiden. Even if I leave with you, they’d never stop chasing us.”</p><p>“If it’s just the two of us we could endure, we could subsist.”</p><p>“And what an awesome life that’d be, running away until we die,” she clicks her tongue, rolling her eyes. “Sorry, but I’m not interested.”</p><p>The woman grimaces, slowly withdrawing her hand. “Yang, pleas—”</p><p>“Why do you want me to go with you, anyway?!” Yang cuts her mother with a wave of her arm, the woman’s sudden interest in her safety making her feel weird. “I know it can’t be because of the Relics. You’ve been following us, you could’ve taken them and then disappear through one of your portals at any time, so why bother?”</p><p>Raven’s expression turns sour. “I haven’t been the best of mothers, I know that... But is it so hard to believe that I don’t want to see my only daughter get killed for nothing?”</p><p>Deep down, a small part of her feels happy just by hearing that, just by knowing that her mother cares about her, at least to some degree. But Yang is not an innocent little girl, she won’t be swayed by the words she yearned for years ago, not anymore. However… that same fraction of her wants to believe Raven is not beyond redemption yet. That there’s a way to make her understand how facing your problems is always better than running away from them, even if sometimes you don’t succeed.</p><p>So she steps right in front of her and reverses the situation, reaching her good hand out. “You don’t have to see me get killed. You can come with us, fight with us... and be at my side for the first time in your miserable life,” she mumbles with an adamant look on her eyes. “I assure you, even if we fail… for me it <i>wouldn’t</i> be for nothing.”</p><p>Her mother’s crimson eyes dart nervously between hers and her hand, and it’s clear by her hesitation that she truly believes taking this offer would mean the end of her life. She keeps staring at it for a few seconds, giving Yang a fleeting spark of hope when her own hand moves a few inches closer... only to recoil not a second after. </p><p>She really hopes the disappointment doesn’t show on her face. “Please…”</p><p>“When your chances of success are zero, it’s <i>always</i> for nothing, Yang!” Raven suddenly growls, rouge energy tongues flaring from the corner of her eyes as her control over her powers slips out of frustration. “Ozpin is leading you to your deaths. Even if you somehow get past that horde, you won’t come out of that castle alive,” her jaw tightens, and she breathes to collect herself. “You may have the Relics, but you know as well as I that Salem can’t be killed. Throw everything you have at her, raze the whole place to the ground or just reduce it to ashes with those big battleships… she’ll stand up again anyway,” she shakes her head, dispirited. “No matter what you do, it all leads to the same conclusion.”</p><p>Yang keeps her hand outstretched and calmly responds, “Which is why killing her is not part of the plan. All we need to do is get past his minions and… well, the old man will do the rest."</p><p>Her mother narrows her eyes, visibly confused, before adding, “I don’t know what crazy scheme he and Qrow came up with... but it’s not going to work.”</p><p>“Probably not, but it’s the best chance we have.”</p><p>“No,” the former bandit chief keeps shaking her head in childish denial, stepping further away from her, “it’s… it’s suicide.”</p><p>Yang takes a step forward, unwilling to give up. “Every single step I’ve taken since that night in Haven’s vault has been a suicide in your book, but here I am,” she squares up, balling her robot hand into a fist and standing tall and proud, “stronger than I’ve ever been in my life, and unafraid.”</p><p>Her mother, on the contrary, retreats deeper and deeper into the shadows. She’s breathing heavily —her inner turmoil reflecting in her already moist eyes—, and that alone is enough for Yang to know there is still hope. This entire conflict they’ve gone through together, the broken trust, the betrayals, the arguments, and their differences as women, Huntresses and family… they’ve all led up to this moment. This is her last chance to right her wrongs, to start being brave... and Yang is ready to support her in every step of the way. </p><p>All she has to do is take her hand.</p><p>“Tomorrow I’m going to fight Death itself, mom,” she whispers, her voice breaking halfway through. “Will you be there with me?”</p><p>Raven’s breath seems to get caught in her throat, her lips quivering and fresh tears pilling up in the corner of her eyes. They went through this exact same scenario roughly two years ago, and back then her mother did little more than making excuses and apologizing for her cowardice, while Yang merely berated her for it and rubbed it on her face. They were both angry and desperate, and they couldn’t meet on common ground.</p><p>But this time they’ve both come out clean about their intentions. There is no room for doubt, only for trust.</p><p>...</p><p>
  
</p><p>“I can't…” Raven starts sobbing quietly, staring back with eyes full of guilt. “I just… I can’t.”</p><p>Without saying one more word, her mother turns around and disappears into the thicket like a wounded wolf, and Yang is left alone in the dark once more, staring helplessly at the empty spot. It’s difficult to say how long she remains there, frozen in place and expecting a handshake that will never come, but it’s enough for her to realize she should get back. There’s a prickling sensation in her eyes, but she swallows hard and chews down on her lip to keep it from coming out. Her outstretched hand slowly turns into a clenched fist before she finally withdraws it and walks back to the campsite with heavy steps.</p><p>Qrow is sitting on her spot by the fire when she arrives. He glances at her with a seemingly disinterested expression and Yang quickly turns her face away from him.</p><p>“It’s not your turn yet,” she mutters in a weak tone.</p><p>He takes his time to respond. “I know. I just heard you talking and wondered if everything was alright,” he explains, lowering his voice. “So… is it?”</p><p>Yang sniffles while wiping her eyes. “Yeah, I was just… getting rid of dead weight.”</p><p>“Do you need help with that?” he asks carefully.</p><p>
  <i>...Do you want to talk about it?...</i>
</p><p>“No, I’m fine,” she clears her throat and turns to look at him, trying her best to look composed. “You can go back to sleep, everything’s alright.”</p><p>“Nah, I think I’ll take it from here. You can tuck yourself in, firecracker. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long freaking day,” he buries the tip of his sword on the ground and makes himself comfortable on the small tree stump, smiling at her in a kind, almost paternal way unfitting of the edgy old man.</p><p>She shakes her head, frowning. “I’m okay, Qrow. It’s my shift, it’s my duty.”</p><p>“Hey, come on, it’s been a long time since I’ve done something cool for my niece. I need to be a responsible uncle every once in a while,” he snickers with his usual cheek, “don’t take that away from me, kid.”</p><p>Yang finds herself chuckling involuntarily, although it comes out as a frail hiccup. “Responsible? Do you even know what that means?”</p><p>Qrow grins, satisfied. “Of course. Your sister makes sure to hammer it in my brain every time she gets all bossy,” that’s not a joke, Ruby in her ‘team leader’ mode is a force to be reckoned with. “Go to sleep, I got you covered,” he whispers gently.</p><p>Taking a long breath, Yang manages to get her feelings in check for the time being and gives her uncle a lopsided smile. “Thanks, Uncle Qrow.”</p><p>As she walks into the small group of sleeping sacks and slips into hers next to Blake, the man responds, “Don’t mention it, kid. Make it up to me by kicking some serious ass tomorrow.”</p><p>She doesn’t need Raven. She’s come this far without her, surpassed every obstacle without her and she will continue to go forward without her, as she’s always done. Her true family is with her, and they give her all the strength she needs.</p><p>“I will.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Just a little note: I'll be updating this and Gemini alternatively until this little prequel is done, so next one is back to the twins!</p><p>See you!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy New Year everyone! Best wishes for all of you! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Grimm horde surrounding the castle is as frightening as Blake and Weiss described, perhaps even more. Despite the echoes of battle and the roar of the Atlesian battleships in the distance, it seems like Salem is determined to keep a few watchdogs at her doorstep; she knows Ruby and her team are the real threat. Relying on Ozpin to take care of them isn't something she digs that much, especially when he’s the only one who can make a stand against Salem on equal footing. But they’re running low on options…</p><p>They can only hope luck will be on their side today.</p><p>The group is hiding near the edge of the forest, overlooking the plains from afar and giving the last finishing touches to their battleplan while Ruby inspects their objective. Just as Ozpin proposed, each of them is wearing a long and plain-looking cloak over their outfits to hide their identities and, most importantly, the Relics. It feels weird wearing another cloak on top of her own, but it’s necessary for their strategy to work.</p><p>“Are we sure she won’t just see through our clothes?” Weiss points out, inspecting her new garments with a grimace.</p><p>“Yeah, she might have X-ray vision for all we know,” Jaune adds, fumbling with his armor under the cloak.</p><p>Qrow is struggling to keep his broadsword hidden under the cloth when he glances at them and responds, “It’s okay. They’re imbued with Oz’s magic, so she shouldn’t be able to see past them,” after a pause he whispers, “he thinks.”</p><p>A vein pops in Weiss’ forehead. “He thinks?!”</p><p>“Hey, it’s magic,” Qrow shrugs, “nothing is ever certain with magic.”</p><p>“Great…”</p><p>Scratch that, they <i>really</i> need luck to be on their side today…</p><p>There’s nothing different about the horde —they’re just wandering around in circles, clearly waiting for them—, so Ruby puts down the binoculars and joins the rest of her team. Ren is helping Nora put on her cloak, while Blake does the same for Yang, all of them busy and getting ready to fight, except for Oscar. The boy —the only one not wearing a cloak— is sitting quietly among the group with Ozpin’s silver cane resting on his lap and his head lowered; she doesn’t miss the way his fingers drum nervously on the metal.</p><p>As Ruby walks by, she gives him a friendly tap on the shoulder and asks, “Nervous?”</p><p>He glances up at her —his eyes slightly less innocent than when he joined them— and smiles miserably. “A little bit. It’s just... It’s stupid.”</p><p>“Come on, spit it out,” she sits down next to him and elbows his arm.</p><p>Oscar takes a moment to breathe, trying to calm himself. “He will take control soon,” he declares slowly, “and depending on how the fight goes, these might be my last minutes as… well, myself.”</p><p>Ruby frowns, understanding where he’s coming from. They’re all ready to give their best and fight to the death —they’ve already done it more than a hundred times—, but Oscar is just about to step back and allow someone else to fight for him, while all he can do is hope that everything works out. So, in a way, everything might end for him right now. It has to be far more stressful than actually fighting yourself.</p><p>But the answer is quite easy.</p><p>“They won’t!” Ruby chirps with a smile.</p><p>He seems thrown off by her optimism, raising an eyebrow. “How can you be so sure?”</p><p>She leans back and glances at the purplish sky before she simply states, “I just know.”</p><p>“You just… know?”</p><p>“Yup. I mean... All our journey has been an uphill climb, always on the struggling side, and each and every time we’ve managed to push forward somehow. Yesterday, all hope was lost because we couldn’t find a way to take care of that horde, but now we have a plan,” she explains with her eyes closed, letting the breeze caress her cheeks. “See? We always find a way to carry on.”</p><p>“Yeah, the biggest ‘a wizard did it’ from all history,” Nora chuckles, overhearing their conversation while Ren tries to tie the cloak around her shoulders. This elicits a round of laughs from their friends.</p><p>“It’s crazy, but that’s how it is! We have no reason to think this time will be different,” Ruby follows, opening her eyes again to look at him. “But we can’t stop, we can’t doubt, otherwise we’ll lose our momentum... Only then we’ll fail for sure.”</p><p>Oscar holds her gaze with his mouth slightly open for a few seconds, dumbstruck by her words, before a sheepish smile tugs at his lips. “You know… You’ve gotten really good at these pep talks.”</p><p>Ruby laughs awkwardly, scratching her neck. “You think so?”</p><p>“It was pretty impressive,” Weiss agrees, coming to sit down next to them with a dangerous grin. “Just as impressive as you using ‘momentum’ correctly.”</p><p>“Hey, come on, that w—!”</p><p>“But you’re right about everything,” she cuts her off, staring at her with what Ruby could swear looked like admiration in her bright teal eyes. "There's no point in worrying about the outcome now that we've come this far. Whatever invisible force has been driving us forward, it's still with us. We have to believe that, right?"</p><p>Her partner has always been very pragmatic and logical, more so in battle when their lives are at stake, but even she isn’t oblivious to the deciding role that destiny —luck, fate or however you want to call it— has played in their quest. Why jinx it now, when they are so close?</p><p>The reaper smiles from ear to ear, motivated by her friend’s support, before she extends her hand in front of her and exclaims, "One last fight!"</p><p>Weiss' expression turns fierce, her eyes shining with blue fire. She puts her hand on top of hers. "One last fight."</p><p>Oscar watches them and squares up, the nervous farm boy in his eyes getting immediately replaced by the hardened warrior that he’s become in the last few months, before he too puts his hand on top of theirs while gripping his cane tightly with the other. “One last fight.”</p><p>“If we fail, we’ll all be doomed anyway. So whatever happens, let’s go out with a <i>Yang</i>!” Yang sneers, arriving at their side —most of her hair already beneath the cloak— and joining her own hand. “One last fight!”</p><p>Blake groans, walking after the blonde while sheathing her weapon behind her back under the cloak. “This is the first and only time I’m going to agree with that pun,” she adds her hand to the others, showing a smirk of pure resolve. “One last fight.”</p><p>“Hey! Wait until we’re all ready, dang it! Come on, Ren!” Nora protests, shooting off to join them as soon as her partner finishes adjusting her cloak and slamming her hand down with the rest. “Let’s give those punks something they’ll never forget, guys! One last fight!”</p><p>Ren adjusts his own cloak and holsters his twin machine guns before following her, the ghost of a pleased smile flashing through his face. “It’s nice to think that we’ll finally get to rest after this, we’re all due for a real night’s sleep…”</p><p>Yang cocks an eyebrow and retorts, “The hell are you saying about sleep, Ren? We’re due for a freaking party after this!”</p><p>“That’s right!” Ruby nods.</p><p>Weiss tilts her head while twisting her mouth. “I wouldn’t say no to that, actually.”</p><p>“Glad to see we got our priorities right,” Ren chuckles, shrugging his shoulders before resting his hand on top of theirs. “One last fight.”</p><p>At their side, Qrow gives Jaune a knowing look while crossing his arms, silently motioning him with his head to join the others. Ruby’s fellow team leader obligues, but not before turning back at her uncle with a smirk. “Come on, Qrow. Just for once, be a kid,” he kneels among the group and adds his hand to the small mountain. “One last fight.”</p><p>“You’re asking the impossible, Jaune,” Ruby whimpers out loud, giving the slanky old man a sideways glance. “Uncle Qrow has always been a stuck-up when it comes to this buddy-buddy stuff.”</p><p>Qrow simply snorts, shaking his head and sticking a hand inside his jacket in a very familiar gesture. Ruby’s playful expression disappears the moment he fishes out his beloved metal flask; even here, at the threshold of the final battle, it seems like he can’t go by without his fill. She watches with disappointment as he opens it and stares for a moment at its content… before nonchalantly dumping the amber liquid on the ground and throwing the flask away as hard as he can.</p><p>Her silver eyes are drawn to the object as it spins in the air and disappears into the forest, only then she makes eye contact with him again, her mouth still agape. Did he just…?</p><p>“If you ever needed a pat on the back, it’s gotta be now,” he blurts, walking towards them with that carefree attitude of his. However, his eyes suddenly become dead serious.. “You may be kids, and I may rub that in your face from time to time, but truth is... You’re the best Huntsmen I’ve worked with in my entire life, and that’s something you’ve earnt with blood and sweat.”</p><p>...</p><p>No one dares say anything —not even Yang or Nora—, they’re all enraptured by this rare cosmic phenomenon that they'll most likely never have the chance to witness again.</p><p>“So the moment we step inside that fucking castle, make sure to let them know, you hear?” he smirks, stopping next to them.</p><p>He leans forward and joins his hand with the others, but not on the top. He bends down a bit more, and places his hand at the base of the small mountain, clasping Ruby’s hand while staring right into her eyes.</p><p>“One last fight.”</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>The moon is right above the Witch’s castle, bathing the entire valley in its shine like a spotlight signaling the beginning of the final act, when all movement around her domain suddenly comes to a halt. The creatures of Grimm keeping watch stop in their tracks, and more than a hundred heads turn abruptly in the same direction, their deadly red eyes standing out amidst the black like candles in a funeral.</p><p>In the distance, a young freckled boy leads a silent procession towards them, the sound of his cane against the ground rising above the clamor of the faraway battle and echoing throughout the plains. Eight hooded figures walk at his sides forming an arrow; their faces might be obscured, but their intentions are as clear as the moon.</p><p>
  <i>‘We’ve come to end this’</i>
</p><p>They stop half a mile away from the castle, forming a line with the boy at the center.</p><p>The Ruby from a couple of years ago would be struggling to keep her drumming heart under control, but the current Ruby merely breathes, slowly, as they always practice; the usefulness of this technique to make you harder to detect to the Grimm seems a bit pointless in this situation, but it helps her stay focused. Her silver eyes roam all over the mass of monsters in the distance and towards the eldritch structure right at the middle. Ruby can almost picture the sinister figure of the castle’s mistress at the very top of the tower, staring at them with one of her hands raised, waiting to give her hounds the order.</p><p>Suddenly, the horde grows restless. Ursas start roaring and clawing at the ground, Goliaths sound their trumpets aloud, Death Stalkers snap their pincers aggressively and Wyverns beat their vast wings, raising a cloud of dust that reaches them in seconds and makes their cloaks flutter violently. She’s taunting them, but they hold their ground, unafraid of the force she’s amassed to receive them. None of them breaks the line, and in less than a minute her boastful exhibition ends, leaving the creatures as tame and mild as when they arrived. But that’s just the calm before the storm.</p><p>Then it starts.</p><p>Slowly, but rapidly increasing in speed, the swarm of beasts rush towards them until their charge becomes a hellish stampede so overwhelmingly powerful that the ground beneath their feet starts shaking. Oscar takes a step forward and glances behind him, making eye contact with her, his gaze a mix between fear and sheer determination. He gives a silent nod, which she returns, before his whole body flashes with a green and black eerie glow. A second later, Ruby finds herself staring back at Professor Ozpin’s ever confident eyes.</p><p>“Stand back,” he commands, the echo of his voice overlapping with Oscar’s.</p><p>They do as he says and back away, leaving him alone against the dark tide; he’s been saving his strength for a moment like this, now they’ll see if it was really worth it.</p><p>In a few seconds, the swarm covers the entire distance between them and the castle. They get so close that she can almost smell their putrid breaths... But as Ozpin raises a hand in front of him —as if commanding them to stop— they don’t get an inch closer. Each and every one of them rams into an invisible wall, creating waves that spread through empty space like the surface of a pond after being hit with a stone. The waves travel in every direction, describing the contour of a giant dome that envelops the horde and even the castle.</p><p>“Fuck…” she hears her uncle mumble.</p><p>She agrees wholeheartedly.</p><p>Ozpin’s feet then become separated from the ground and his body flies high into the air, wielding his cane in his right hand —while the left keeps sustaining the dome— and using it to draw strange green symbols in the air. They all watch, entranced, as the pattern grows more and more complex with each stroke, not even paying attention to the myriad of Grimm clawing and biting desperately at the wall to break free.</p><p>The weird glyph starts glowing brighter and pulsating with power with each new symbol he engraves into it, so much that the entire valley turns green. Then, after he delivers the last stroke, Ozpin raises his cane above his head and the magical glyph shrinks into a flaming ball of light the size of a pebble; it looks weak and soft, like the fire of a candle. The Grimm slowly give up on their efforts and raise their heads to look at him, drawn like flies to the light.</p><p>Ozpin lowers his cane, pointing to the base of the castle, and the tiny light takes off like a shooting star, leaving a beautiful green trail behind it. It flashes right through the dome and over the monsters’ heads, who follow it with their eyes, until it vanishes into the earth underneath the castle.</p><p>Ruby expects an explosion, a deafening blast that will throw them all off the ground, but it never happens. Instead, a green bubble starts growing silently at the base of the castle, vanishing from existence everything it touches. The earth and the black ponds disappear, the giant Dust formations disintegrate, and the hundreds of Grimm are simply blown away like mountains of ash, gently and without making a sound.</p><p>Just a few seconds later, the bubble reaches the edge of the dome and fades away, leaving nothing behind… except the castle. Salem’s lair —and Ruby has to blink a couple of times to fully realize this— is suspended several feet in the air inside this spheric void of death, completely intact and surrounded by its own reddish bubble.</p><p>Next to her, Weiss clicks her tongue. “Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy…”</p><p>“Yeah…” she agrees, frowning.</p><p>Ozpin’s feat has been nothing short of a miracle, but he’s far weaker than he was in the past, while Salem is in the prime of her power. This fact becomes even more apparent when a combination of landslides and black tar magically erupting from the earth fills in the hole left by his spell, until the castle is resting on solid ground once again. One magical wonder to undo another.</p><p>Having consumed most of his energies, the invisible dome finally collapses and Ozpin falls from the sky, dropping on his knees as soon as he touches the ground. Ruby rushes to his side and lets him lean on her shoulder to stand up.</p><p>“That was amazing, professor,” she whispers with a little smile.</p><p>He chuckles dejectedly. “It’s been hundreds of years since I did something like that,” his breathing is heavy and tired. “I’m afraid... I won’t be of much… help from now on.”</p><p>“You’ve done your part,” she shakes her head, “now it’s our—”</p><p>Ozpin’s whole body tenses up all of a sudden and he pushes her back behind him. “Something’s coming, watch out!”</p><p>“What is it?!” she exclaims, catching her footing and darting her eyes around. </p><p>What looks like a strange black mist quickly builds up around them like a spiderweb, shooting tendrils in all directions and weaving a dense curtain that cuts them off from the outside. Before they even have a chance to do something, the last few braids intertwine, finishing the cocoon and drowning them in complete darkness; whatever Salem’s doing, she’s waited until Ozpin was at his weakest.</p><p>Ruby spins around, reaching out with her hands frantically to find her friends amidst the dark. “What’s happening?!”</p><p>“Ruby?!” she hears Weiss’ distant voice, despite them being nearly back to back just a few seconds ago. “Where are you?!”</p><p>“I’m here! Follow my voice!”</p><p>“She’s trying to set us apart!” Professor Ozpin’s voice, his much more closer. “Mr. Arc! The <i>Sword</i>!”</p><p>“On it!” comes Jaune’s response.</p><p>Ruby started running in her partner’s direction the moment she heard her voice, but this strange dark space seems to follow her no matter where she goes. Then, right in front of her, a beacon of light emerges in the form of a crystalline cerulean edge, piercing through the darkness. The silhouette of its wielder remains obscured, but she can make out how he raises the blade high above his head, then brutally brings it down like he’s slaying an invisible enemy.</p><p>The Relic of Destruction is perhaps the most straightforward of the four. A sword so unbelievably sharp it can destroy anything it touches in a single strike, be it flesh, bone, steel, Aura… or magic.</p><p>A ghostly white fissure appears right where the blade struck, traveling like a snake all the way to her and beyond.</p><p>A moment later, the spell dies in a blast of light that devours Ruby completely.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>The white flash recedes at last and Weiss slowly opens her eyes, drawing Myrtenaster instinctively while her eyes adjust to her new surroundings. It seems like Jaune wasn’t able to break the spell before she was taken away; she can only hope the rest of her friends are good, and together.</p><p>She’s in some kind of underground laboratory judging by the amount of computers and strange machines decorating every corner, and the unusual lack of windows. She doesn’t know exactly where, but she can tell she’s inside Salem’s castle; that unmistakable dark purple rock is everywhere, from walls to ceiling. There are robots in various states of construction laying around, some of which she recognizes as old Atlesian Knight models slightly modified, while others look… more human in appearance, almost like dolls. She can only think of one of Salem’s lackeys having this kind of pastime.</p><p>Someone grunts behind her and Weiss twists her heel and spins around with lightning speed, ready to push her rapier through Watts’ skull. But her blade stops when she finds one of her teammates kneeling on the floor. Her hood is down, allowing a couple of cat ears to peek out.</p><p>“Blake! Are you okay?!” Weiss exclaims, kneeling next to her and helping her get on her feet.</p><p>“W-Weiss?” The faunus blinks several times until her vision clears and her golden eyes focus on her, then a relieved smile appears on her face. “Oh, I’m so glad to see you... I thought she managed to split us.”</p><p>The white-haired frowns, dusting her friend’s cloak. “She did, just not as much as she wanted. It’s just you and me here.”</p><p>Blake looks around and the smile fades away. “Where are we?”</p><p>“Somewhere inside the castle, I think,” she answers, before activating the intercom on her wrist. “This is Weiss, does anybody hear me?” A static sound is the only response she gets. “Damn it...”</p><p>Blake tries with hers, but the result is the same. “The mission still stands,” she sighs, her crestfallen expression turning into one of adamant resolve. “We must assume the others are okay and find our way to the top of the castle.”</p><p>This is a mess... Split and uncommunicated, one of the worst possible scenarios. It kills her to think what could happen to Ruby or Yang if they find themselves alone, but Blake’s right, they have to carry on and hope the others will do the same. After gently touching the Relic hanging from her belt to make sure it’s still safe, Weiss exchanges nods with her teammate. “Alright, let’s move on.”</p><p>They both turn to the nearest door, but it suddenly shuts close hermetically.</p><p>“I’m afraid I can't allow you to leave.”</p><p>Both Huntresses jump back and ready their weapons at the sound of the familiar voice. The disgraced scientist stands at the other side of the room, escorted by heavily armed robots. His moustache curls into an arrogant sneer.</p><p>“At least until I make sure you’re not hiding anything under those,” Watts finishes, drawing a custom-made gun and aiming at them.</p><p>“Corrupted, insane and now lecherous? You’re really reaching the lowest of the lowest,” Weiss retorts with a smirk, assuming her preferred fencing stance.</p><p>“Even if we had a Relic with us, what makes you think you stand a chance?” Blake shouts defiantly while loading a Dust cartridge into the gun of her blade. “You’ll need something better than a few robots.”</p><p>The skinny man snorts without losing a sliver of his usual poise and, in response to his laugh, a second figure emerges from behind one of the robots, one that makes Weiss curse under her breath and clench her teeth. It’s Emerald, her face —unlike his— set in an almost apathetic expression, like a child being forced to do something she doesn’t like.</p><p>“You should’ve walked away when you had the chance...” the woman mumbles with a despondent shake of the head, not even looking at them.</p><p>“As you see, my dear,” Watts continues, shrugging his shoulders, “a few robots will do just fine.”</p><p>Taking that as her cue, Emerald’s reluctant eyes turn to the two Huntresses and, for the second time today, Weiss’ vision goes completely black.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>“Hello? Jaune? Ruby? Anyone...?”</p><p>“It’s useless. There has to be something here interfering with the signal.”</p><p>Nora scowls and slides her hand inside her cloak again while he takes a peek around the nearest corner. There’s a long corridor leading to a fancy-looking staircase at the end, and no one is in sight, so they step forward and proceed carefully. Their objective right now is reaching the top of the castle, and hopefully to rendezvous with the others there.</p><p>The two of them managed to grab hold of each other before Salem’s magic devoured them, so wherever she sent them, they were able to stick together… but perhaps the rest of their friends weren’t so lucky. They’ve all improved a great deal since the last time they faced against her underlings, but that will be pointless if they’re picked apart one by one.</p><p>Ren must be frowning harder than he expected, because her partner leans forward with a concerned look.</p><p>“They’ll be fine, Ren. I bet they’ll all be waiting for us when we get there,” Nora cheers him, ever the optimist. That’s the part he loves the most about her; he would’ve probably broken down along the way if it wasn’t for her.</p><p>Even if he knows that’s not necessarily true, her words make him feel slightly better. “Do you think Jaune will be okay?”</p><p>“With that sword? He’s probably safer than us,” she laughs, but there’s a subtle uncertainty in her voice that only Ren can notice. She’s worried too —she always does—, but she’s trying to push those thoughts away from her mind for the sake of their goal. “Come on, we have to hurry.”</p><p>He takes a deep breath and nods, smiling back at her.</p><p>They step up the pace and run to the next floor, where they stumble upon some sort of training arena; it’s seen a lot of use, as evidenced by the scorch marks, cracks and the overall state of the place. They traverse through a series of identical rooms, trying to find the next set of stairs, when —right after crossing a door between arenas— something smashes into them with the force of a truck and sends them crashing into a wall; if his Aura wasn’t already engaged, the blow would’ve broken every single bone in his body.</p><p>His ears are ringing, but he’s trained his body to withstand this level of stress and more, so he gets up almost immediately, forcing himself through the pain. Nora does as well, although she’s a bit more verbal about it.</p><p>“F-Fuck...” she grunts, rubbing the back of her head before opening her eyes and glaring at the man in front of them. It’s been a long while since they saw him, but they could never forget that face. </p><p>Hazel glances between them, furrowing his brows in disappointment. There’s an earth Dust crystal embedded into the flesh of his left shoulder, while the rest of the arm is covered in dense rock armor, only sporting a few cracks from the tremendous force of the punch. “I didn’t think I’d run into you two of all people. Trust me when I say I would’ve preferred to do this to Ozpin...” he sighs like he’s genuinely sorry about ambushing them, but his frown turns upside down when he notices what they’ve just dropped on the floor in front of him. “Well… At least this will make up for it.”</p><p>“No!”</p><p>He doesn’t have a chance to reach out to grab it before Nora unfolds Magnhild and starts shooting grenades at him with a warcry, while Ren throws himself at him with StormFlower unsheathed. The man’s reflexes equal his strength, however, and he’s able to block the explosions with his stone arm and catch Ren’s wrist before his blades make contact, then tossing him away like a ragdoll. He spins around mid-air and lands graciously on his feet on the other side of the room, leaving Hazel trapped between them.</p><p>The man raises the Relic of Creation above his head and, without giving any meaningless speech or monologue, stabs himself in the chest with the tip of the scepter. An endless supply of energy starts flowing into his body, giving him a boost like no other Dust crystal ever could. And as his body grows to become a pulsating mass of overwhelming power, Ren realizes he might not be the one trapped between them after all.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>Several blasts of wind are shot in her direction, aiming right at her head, but Yang rolls on the floor and out of their way before unleashing a barrage of shotgun shells back at her enemy. He’s been smiling the whole time —confident and arrogant as ever—, but as soon as a shell hits him in the guts and sends him careening on the ground, his face contorts in rage.</p><p>“That’s first blood for me, Heels,” she smirks, standing up and dusting her clothes. “Someone’s getting sluggish… I guess sitting on your ass for six months without doing anything would do that to you.”</p><p>“Shut up!” Mercury barks right before kicking the floor and jumping at her again.</p><p>After Salem’s spell was undone, Yang found herself somewhere inside the castle all alone, but that didn’t last long. Just after a few minutes of wandering around in search of a way to get to the top, Mercury found her and they immediately started to beat the hell out of each other. It pleased her a lot when she realized the fight wasn’t as one-sided as their previous encounters. She has some unfinished business with this asshole, but she only allows that anger to come out in small portions, just the right amount to keep her focused. As a result, she’s being able to stand her ground and push him back, even managing to land the first blow.</p><p>One look at his face is enough to tell he’s not as proud of her development as she is, which only makes revenge all the more sweet.</p><p>The fight continues for a few more minutes, in which they keep wildly exchanging blows. They both manage to land hits on each other, but overall in Yang’s favor; Mercury is fast, but he’s just as fast as he was a year ago, while she hasn’t stopped improving for a single day. It’s going to be a long wear-and-tear kind of fight, and time is not something she has in spare, but it’s better than trying to rush it and make a mistake.</p><p>After one decisive hook to the stomach that makes her opponent backpedal, bend over and start coughing, Yang prepares to nail his head to the ground with one final punch. But suddenly, something pummels her in the back of the head and sends her crashing on the ground a few feet away. Her combat instincts kick in and she keeps rolling in the same direction to keep her enemies from capitalizing on her fall, then jumps safely on her feet, raising her guard again.</p><p>This is another face she hasn’t seen in a while, with a pair of heterochromatic eyes and a shit-eating grin she recognizes very well.</p><p>“S-She’s mine! I don’t need your help!” Mercury shouts at the new arrival, still gasping for air.</p><p>Neo rolls her eyes before adjusting her hat and taking another step forward, ignoring his complaints and spinning her parasol around playfully. The grey-haired bastard clicks his tongue but ends up giving up and standing next to her as they both walk towards her.</p><p>Shit…</p><p>Yang wasn’t having an easy time with Cinder’s lackey, but if the petite assassin joins the fight too she’s screwed; she has improved, but there’s no way she can handle these two on her own.</p><p>“Well, well...”</p><p>A third voice behind her makes her jump around in surprise, cocking both Ember Celica and her robot arm to aim at each side. Down the hall, the faint glow pouring through the windows reflects on a silver metallic tail as the steps get closer and closer. Salem’s fanatic minion walks calmly out of the shadows with a crazed sneer, his eyes wide and nearly popping out.</p><p>“Looks like we catched one of the rats scurrying around…”</p><p>Yang grins from ear to ear, trying to feign nonchalance. “I was just looking for the bathroom, pal. But this place’s a freaking maze!”</p><p>The smile quickly vanishes from his face and one of his eyes starts twitching. “The bathroom...? The bathroom?! You think you can just walk around my mistress’ house like you own it?!” he shrieks maniacally, deploying his wrist blades and lowering his stance. “You desecrate this holy place with your filth!”</p><p>“Oops, my bad! Should I have left the boots at the entrance?” she asks, scratching her mud-covered leather soles on the fancy floor. “No?”</p><p>The man’s face gets even more red, readying himself to attack. </p><p>A drop of cold sweat slides down her neck while she considers her options. She’s trapped in a pathway between two professional assassins and a murderous psychopath, every single one of them more than capable of putting up a fight with her. She could try jumping off a window, but there’s no guarantee she can figure out a landing strategy if she happens to be too high; besides, the longer she can keep them busy, the less chance they have to gang up against one of her friends...</p><p>The lamp's weight on her belt reminds her of the other choice. Should she waste the Relic's last question to ask Jinn for a way out of this? Seems like the perfect excuse to use it... but who knows what other problems they might encounter after this?</p><p>Unfortunately, her opponents don't give her time to think it through. They immediately launch a collective attack from all flanks, forcing her to choose who to protect herself from. She loses no matter who she picks, so she might as well face the two she has more bad blood with. Allowing her build up rage to finally come out, Yang’s hair explodes in a storm of fire before she punches the ground in front of her with such force that she raises a cloud of debris that makes Mercury and Neo stagger and withdraw. Tyrian is still coming at her though, and she has no time to turn around before his blades mercilessly pierce her back. </p><p>Except that never comes to happen. </p><p>Something intercepts the lunatic's weapons, sending a rain of sparks over her shoulders. She feels someone’s back pressed against her a second later, but she doesn’t glance away from the duo in front of her to see who it is; the ruff and heavy panting says enough.</p><p>“Branwen…” Tyrian sounds strangely elated to be robbed of his kill, but his elation is short-lived.</p><p>“Hey, bud! Long time no see! How’s the simping going? Got to first base yet or what?” Qrow shouts back, which —judging by Tyrian’s disgruntled snarl— manages to get under his skin. </p><p>“Thanks, I thought I was a goner…” Yang chuckles, relief washing over her. “I wouldn’t have complained if you dropped by a few minutes earlier, you know?”</p><p>“Yeah? Try flying around this place, it’s a fucking maze…” Qrow growls, not nearly as amused as her.</p><p>“Right? It’s what I was telling that weirdo.”</p><p>He sighs. “Man… What a day to stop drinking.”</p><p>She smiles, remembering the corny gesture before he joined the team handshake. It would be a lie to say it wasn’t touching though; it’s something Ruby, their dad and her have been working on for years. “Cheer up, when this is over I’ll treat you to all the sodas you want.”</p><p>“Huh, punk…” he snorts, flourishing his sword. “You ready?”</p><p>The dust clears, and Mercury and Neo step out of it and start circling around them like hyenas, smiling cruelly. Yang cocks her weapons in response. “I got your back, Uncle Qrow.”</p><p>“So do I, kiddo.”</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>The white world around Ruby comes to an end and she unfolds Crescent Rose not a second too late to blast a Beowulf’s head clean off its body before its claws reach her. An Ursa comes from her right flank right at the same time, but its whole body gets cut in half like butter by an azure flash before it gets any closer. The unmistakable clanking of Jaune’s armor comes next to her in its place.</p><p>“Thanks,” she says, eyes focused on the pack of Grimm surrounding them.</p><p>“Don’t mention it,” he responds sternly. “Where are we?”</p><p>Ruby glances around, noticing that they’re now in a massive room covered by huge window panes and illuminated by a handful of torches on the walls; the purple glow they’re so used to is absent here, but that’s only to be expected seeing the vast flock of small Nevermore covering the skies outside. There are two sets of stairs right in front of them, leading to a middle floor and a set of giant —and nicely engraved— double doors, warded by a couple of Beringels. It’s almost like a perverted version of Haven’s main hall.</p><p>“I’m… not sure.”</p><p>“She’s in there…” Ozpin’s voice says behind them.</p><p>The reaper glances briefly over her shoulder and sees the boy hunched over the cane —probably the first time she’s ever seen the tool being used for its designed purpose— and pointing at the massive doors. He looks like he might collapse at any second, managing only to stay on his feet by pure will alone.</p><p>“She’s behind that door…”</p><p>The closest creatures start growling and taking small steps towards them.</p><p>Ruby furrows her brows, shifting Crescent Rose into scythe form. “Stay back, professor. We’ll deal with them.”</p><p>“Let’s do this, Ruby,” Jaune deploys his shield, trying to cover both Ozpin and her weak flank.</p><p>The creatures keep advancing, until they suddenly grow as still as statues. The great doors upstairs open ever so slightly with a sonorous and unsettling screech, and Cinder Fall walks out with an elegant step. They haven’t seen her in months, and it really shows; the Grimm implants she used as substitutes have grown and become even more twisted. Her left arm is now a long wicked claw that almost reaches the floor, while her left eye has been fully replaced by a glowing red orb amidst a black mass that she doesn’t even bother to hide behind an eyepatch. But the most concerning have to be the massive Nevermore wings sprouting from her back.</p><p>The Grimm stand aside, forming a passageway like she belongs among them. She arrives at the handrail of the middle floor and looks down at them with an alluring smile.</p><p>“That was quite the show, Ozpin,” she says, savouring every syllable. “But you know… You could've done something like that back at Beacon. Imagine all the lives you could’ve saved…” she giggles, glancing at Jaune for a moment. “All those meaningless deaths...”</p><p>The boy inhales sharply and moves forward, sword tightly clenched in his hand, but Ruby quickly grabs his arm, giving him a look they’ve shared many times. “Jaune…”</p><p>The blonde glances back at her —his eyes full of pain and rage— and his breathing slowly evens out. “I’m okay…”</p><p>She smiles warmly, patting his arm before turning back to glare at Cinder once more. “I'm the one you want! Come and get me!”</p><p>Cinder’s amused expression turns dangerous. “Oh, I will… But first,” she looks at Ozpin again, “<i>she</i> said to only let you in if you happened to make it here.”</p><p>“What does she want with him?” Ruby demands, mindful of Ozpin's state.</p><p>“Probably kill him herself. I don’t know and I don’t care.”</p><p>“Over our dead bo—” Jaune starts, but gets interrupted as Ozpin simply walks past them. “Professor, what are you doing?!”</p><p>He peeks back with a reassuring look. “It’s okay, I’ll be fine.”</p><p>“You’re weak, you can’t do anything against her in your state,” Ruby warns with a scowl.</p><p>Ozpin merely laughs in his usual controlled way. “Miss Rose, I wouldn’t be able to do anything even if I rested for a thousand years,” he declares, and something in the way he says it tells her that’s not a simple guess. “I know that just as much as she does. Besides, I think we both need to talk after all this time,” he glances at Cinder and sighs. “And it’s not like I'll be of much help here… Trust me.”</p><p>She still isn’t convinced, but she nods weakly, hoping the wise wizard knows what he’s doing. “Just… be careful, please.”</p><p>“You too,” he smiles kindly, taking his time to look at both of them, like he’s trying to engrave their image in his mind. “Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for better students.”</p><p>Both team leaders straighten their backs, filled with pride, and watch as their former headmaster slowly limps his way across the pack of Grimm without even reacting when the beasts growl and snarl at him, as well as ignoring Cinder’s deadly glare as he passes past her.</p><p>“We’ll be there with you in a minute, professor!” Jaune shouts when he reaches the door.</p><p>Ozpin takes one last look at them. “I know you will, Mr. Arc. I know you will,” and then disappears behind the doors.</p><p>Now that they don't have to worry about protecting him, Ruby exhales, tightens her grip on Crescent Rose and turns her eyes to Cinder, who seems equally eager to be done with the wizard.</p><p>This is the day she’s been waiting for, the day she’ll finally be able to make justice for everything this woman has done.</p><p>She’s ready for her.</p><p>"Now then," Cinder starts with a predatory smile, taking off into the air with a beat of her wings and pointing at the Relic in Jaune's hands, "I think that is <i>my</i> sword."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p><b>me, planning the story:</b> ok, this is just the prequel for my main story, so imma write short chapters</p><p><b>me, writing 16 pages anyway:</b> haha keyboard go brrrr</p><p>Anyway, hope you're liking it so far. Back to the twins!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As the door closes behind him, Ozpin falls to his knees, feeling a burning sensation creeping up his body and gnawing at his head, like a hot iron piercing straight into his skull. He overestimated how much energy he had left, and now his flashy exhibition is taking its tax. Every inch of his being is screaming at him to pass control over to Oscar and retreat into the depths of his soul, but he can't afford to do that. He's come a really long way, and he must see this through to the end himself.</p><p>"You are a pitiful sight," the voice is soft like silk —a gentle caress to his drained spirit—, but its austere tone carries the weight of thousands of years of torment.</p><p>Forcing himself on his feet with the help of his cane, Ozpin raises his head and stares back into the harrowing eyes of his former beloved, or the thing she’s become. She’s peeking at him from the far end of the room, standing in front of one of the massive windows that overlooks the vast plains below like a queen gazing at her kingdom. Her ghostly visage doesn’t betray even the slightest sliver of worry, the ancient curse sentencing her to immortal life making any threat meaningless.</p><p>But her death has never been their objective.</p><p>“I’ve looked better, I’ll admit...” he responds, dusting Oscar’s green coat and standing straight before stepping into the center of the chamber. Despite the meeting table set up there, not a single one of her followers seems to be around, so he can only assume they’re all scattered throughout the castle, seeking the Relics. “But what can you expect after that little stunt?”</p><p>“You were always one for grandeur displays,” Salem says with a little grin —a fragment of her past self that dies as soon as it appears—, turning around and approaching the table to meet him at the center; she still moves with the same poise and regality as he remembers, almost as if her feet weren’t even touching the floor. She stops a couple of feet away from him, and their current difference in height makes her look even more intimidating. “Sadly, this time it amounts to nothing.”</p><p>Ozpin shakes his head softly. “I disagree.”</p><p>Her crimson eyes narrow, trying to discern his scheme, the intricate master plan that he —beyond a shadow of a doubt— designed to take her down once and for all. When she speaks again a few seconds later, however, her tone reveals her bewilderment at the bitter truth, that there’s no such intricate plan.</p><p>“You are not here to kill me…”</p><p>Ozpin chuckles, resting his hands on top of his cane. “We both know that word has no meaning referring to you.”</p><p>“Yet you’ve brought the Relics with you,” she rebukes, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>“What I’ve brought is hope,” he counters, his expression softening in pity. “You’re just too blind to see it.”</p><p>The room’s temperature suddenly drops, and he feels the malicious power pulsating from her entire being, coiling around him like the deadly grip of a snake. Lifting a finger is all it would take her to destroy him and leave his body a mangled and unrecognisable mess, but that’s not how she wants it to end. She wants him to witness it, to see the futility of his defiance and to see those he protected dead at his feet before the whole world falls apart.</p><p>“You are playing a game you cannot win, Ozma,” she begins calmly, stepping aside and running a vein-covered hand along the polished purple rock surface as she walks back to her throne at the end of the table. “Your naive group of children will die here today. And as soon as I collect the Relics, I will start the summoning,” she takes a seat, staring back at him with a solemn look, “and we will die along with them and this wretched world.”</p><p>Arguing with her serves no purpose. He knows how everything will turn out, he has complete faith in his students.</p><p>The woman he once knew died a long time ago, gone to a place where he can’t follow her. Uttering the same words he did centuries ago to try to rid her of her twisted beliefs would be a waste of time, for he knows it’d do little more than provoke her ire. So he simply walks in the opposite direction and sits down at the other end of the table, leaving his cane in front of him and facing her.</p><p>“Then let's wait for the end to come, together.”</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>When Jaune was chosen to be the wielder of the Relic of Destruction for the final battle, he had second thoughts. Even though the size, shape and weight of the weapon seemed to have been hand-tailored for his personal combat style, the sheer power of the sword still terrified him. It would only take a more skillful enemy —which, in his opinion, accounts for literally all of them— to disarm him, turning the tide of the entire battle against his friends.</p><p>He was well over his self-worth issues, the fires of the Vesper March campaign forging him into the warrior he never thought he could be, but the magnitude of this responsibility had weighed on him until the very last minute before they were sucked into the castle by Salem’s spell. He still believed Qrow would have made better use of it, and he even proposed it, but the man rejected the idea and insisted Jaune should be the wielder, saying the boy’s style would benefit much more from it than his.</p><p>A part of him still thinks the true reason behind it was to offset his lesser skills and put him on par with the rest, so to say. But even if that were the case, he wouldn’t mind at all.</p><p>Especially now that he has to push back wave after wave of Grimm, the knight being the only thing standing between the murderous torrent of death and his silver-eyed friend. He’s already killed dozens, the Relic cleaving them in half as if they were made of paper. Beowolves, Ursae, Beringels… Not a single one of them is able to withstand more than one swipe of the cerulean edge. In fact, he doesn’t even have to aim at the vital areas. As soon as the blade bites through their flesh, it kills them instantly, as if the weapon could cut the very notion of life itself.</p><p>Honestly, if he had to fight using Crocea Mors instead, the battle would probably be over already… </p><p>He hopes their friends are faring just as good as them. The entire castle rocks every now and then, which means they’re still fighting somewhere. That’s good, as long as there are sounds of battle, there’s still hope that his friends are alive.</p><p>When the silence comes is when he’ll start to worry...</p><p>“Ruby! How are you doing?!” He shouts, vanquishing two creatures that tried to circle him with a wide slash.</p><p>Her strained voice comes a second later. “Just… a few more seconds!”</p><p>She’s standing behind him, weapon lowered and eyes closed in deep concentration as she prepares to unleash the force of her gift upon these monsters. Learning how to summon it had been fairly easy, but as they had soon found out, achieving full power without her getting instantly knocked out cold was a lot more tricky.</p><p>“Okay, I got you covered!”</p><p>And he does, although mostly for lack of trying from their enemies’ part. The Grimm are overwhelming in numbers, new creatures emerging from weird holes at the back of the room —probably leading into the guts of the castle—, but they are predictable, and with the Relic in his power he’s able to keep them at bay. But only because Cinder still hasn’t joined the fight. Things could quickly turn sour if she decided to intervene, but it seems like she prefers to watch them struggle for the moment, flying in the center of the hall with her giant wings amidst a massive flock of little Nevermore.</p><p>He doesn’t know how deeply the Grimm corruption runs inside of her, but it should be enough for Ruby’s power to prove lethal, and yet her amused smile tells him that she’s not disturbed in the slightest.</p><p>“Now!” Ruby roars.</p><p>Not wasting a moment, Jaune blasts the teeth out of a Beowolf’s snout with a smash of his shield and quickly turns on his heels, ducking behind his friend to give her a full vision field. The Grimm leap at her without a thought, but their claws fall short of reaching her before they’re devoured by a blinding light that buries the whole room and every creature in it like a tidal wave. The sound of growls and talons scratching against the floor suddenly stops, giving way to a deathly silence, only interrupted by Ruby’s laborious breathing.</p><p>When the light fades away and Jaune opens his eyes, he’s welcomed by the sight of dozens of statues with their limbs outstretched towards them, the creatures petrified where they stood a second ago. And as soon as he looks at them, their bodies crack and they all start to crumble away, falling to the ground in a cloud of dust and sand that scatters throughout the chamber.</p><p>Jaune sighs and lowers the Relic, every muscle in his body aching.</p><p>She did it...</p><p>“How are you feeling?” He asks, patting his friend’s back while she regains her breath.</p><p>Ruby smiles at him, her face slick with sweat but at least looking healthy. “I’m good... Better than last time at lea—”</p><p>A loud blast makes them jump back all of a sudden, both falling instinctively into a combat-ready stance.</p><p>The source of the impact is a boulder that just fell on top of the middle floor, right in front of the gates Ozpin disappeared into a few minutes ago. Its shape is that of a ball, but its surface is uneven, filled with bumps and protrusions in a chaotic pattern he can’t understand. At least until he squints his eyes and recognizes these irregularities as the tiny petrified bodies of the flock of Nevermore that circled around Cinder.</p><p>That’s when he realizes the woman’s statue is nowhere to be seen.</p><p>“No…”</p><p>“Y-You have to be kidding…” Ruby mutters, her voice shaking with exhaustion.</p><p>But right in time to deny their hopes, a long fissure appears across its length, and Cinder bursts out like a butterfly breaking out of her cocoon, completely unscathed and smiling triumphantly. She takes to the air once more with a beat of her wings, her golden eye flaring with the familiar flame tongue of the Maiden’s power, and looks down at them like a goddess staring at ants.</p><p>
  
</p><p>“So, with that out of the way...” She purrs after conjuring twin fiery swords on each hand.</p><p>Jaune and Ruby barely have time to react before the woman lunges at them, unleashing hell on her path.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>As she crouches behind a pile of rubble and peeks around the corner, Nora makes out the massive silhouette of Hazel slowly walking through the wreckage and the fine dust clouds floating around the area. The whole arena complex has been completely levelled, turned into a single large space filled with nothing but the shattered remains of the walls that divided the facility; she helped a little bit with that, but the mess is mostly the man’s fault. </p><p>It’s surprising the castle isn’t in ruins yet...</p><p>The giant bulk of Salem’s lackey wanders around, the shadow of the Relic embedded into his torso visible through the dust as he tries to find them in a deadly game of hide-and-seek.</p><p>It drives her bananas seeing him using the staff in the same way she had planned —although she wouldn't have needed to stab her freaking chest—, especially since he didn't even have to try that hard to take it from her. But there's no helping that now. They screwed up and lost the Relic, and now they have to get it back no matter what. Even if it means sneaking around like cornered rats. </p><p>This traditional huntery-stuff is like the complete opposite of how she usually works in battle but, thankfully, her partner is a master at it.</p><p>Squinting her eyes to see past the dust, she notices the monsterman suddenly stopping in his tracks and raising one of his giant hands above his head, getting ready to strike; he must've found Ren's decoy.</p><p>That’s her cue.</p><p>Just as he pummels the ground with enough force to shake the floor beneath her feet and raise yet more dirt, she jumps out of her hiding spot and deploys Magnhild in its hammer form, rushing at him from behind; the dust particles prick at her eyes, but she forces them open to not lose sight of her enemy. </p><p>A Lightning Dust crystal weighs in her hand; an uncut fragment, highly unstable and brimming with wild energy, just as she likes them. With a sharp squeeze, the crystal shatters in her palm and a torrent of electricity surges across her body, powering her Semblance.</p><p>It’s the last one, so she has to make it count.</p><p>Ren appears in the distance like a shadowy form through the smoke, running at the man while forming a pincer formation with her, their footsteps silenced by the loud tremor and the fallen fragments of ceiling. Halfway through, Nora kicks the ground and leaps into the air, hauling her weapon over her shoulders and diving headfirst towards Hazel. Her partner’s silhouette reaches him before her, slashing at the back of his knees and making him tumble to the ground before scurrying away as quick as a fox. The grunt Hazel lets out is more annoyed than pained, but that’s okay. She’s the one bringing the hurt.</p><p>
  <i>We got you, asshole!</i>
</p><p>Since the whole maneuver takes less than five seconds, he’s completely defenseless as Nora slams Magnhild into the back of his head, the momentum she carried added to her Semblance-boosted strength and allowing her to bring him down in a thunderous explosion on par with the one just before. </p><p>The hit comes with a price, though. His skin has hardened so much that the impact shakes her entire body and makes her teeth clatter, but she endures it and tries to jump back in order to prepare the next ambush before the dust settles. But she doesn’t expect the humongous claw reaching out of the smoke with inhuman speed and seizing her entire right leg. She cries, both in surprise and by the sheer pressure exerted on her leg, which gives her a very close idea of how getting chewed by a Wyvern would feel.</p><p>“Nora!” She hears Ren scream.</p><p>The world spins violently and she soon finds herself upside down, held like a rabbit in the butcher’s grip. </p><p>But no one handles this rabbit without getting bitten.</p><p>Swallowing the pain, Nora folds her weapon into its grenade launcher form and unleashes a salvo of pink explosive shells at point blank range straight into Hazel’s face, still obscured by the smoke.</p><p>However, the hand doesn't loosen its grip.</p><p>"Give up, girl," Hazel's voice, distorted beyond recognition but still calm and collected, "you're just making things worse for you."</p><p>"G-Go to hell!" She shouts back, thrashing around in vain.</p><p>He sighs, and the other claw emerges from within the fog, slowly coiling its titanic fingers around her neck. "Have it your way…"</p><p>He starts pressing and her free hand instantly latches onto his fingers, trying to pry them open, but they're too strong. She gasps several times, trying to breathe, but it only causes the air to get sucked out of her lungs as the vicious grip tightens. Not even when she empties the rest of her ammunition wildly into his body does the claw release her.</p><p>"Let her go!"</p><p>Ren’s desperate strides echo throughout the area, his usually careful planning thrown out of the window. As her vision darkens, Nora sees the green blur appearing above the shadow of the behemoth. He lashes out at the head of the man-turned-monster, and the clash of Storm Flower with his skin sends sparks flying around, but once again, nothing seems to make him flinch at all.</p><p>The fingers that constricted her throat let go and, faster than what she thought possible, Hazel backhands her partner with a simple swat, like one would do to an annoying fly. Her sight is still clouded, so she only hears his body crashing among the wreckage on the other side of the room a moment later. But this has given her a few seconds to breathe, and even more, it has opened a window of opportunity.</p><p>The movement of his massive arm is so powerful and fast that it’s enough to create an airblast that disperses the thick cloud of dirt around him, revealing his gargantuan body. His muscular figure —now nearly the size of a Goliath— has turned a light blue, and his veins pop out like a glowing white spiderweb all around his skin, pumping pure energy into his every cell. But Nora only focuses on one thing: the golden shaft protruding out of his torso, in the exact point all this shining network converges.</p><p>She doesn’t even think. </p><p>As soon as it comes into view, her hand shoots out and clasps the staff, her Semblance immediately drinking from it like a thirsty animal after finding an oasis in the desert; she only gets enough to moist her lips, though. Just as she touches the Relic, its weight shifts and Hazel lets out a hiss, releasing her leg in the act. She hovers in the air for a fraction of a second until the other hand clamps on her upper body with the strength of a hydraulic press, forcing her own hand open and away from the Relic before she gets brutally hurled away.</p><p>Her flight is short-lived as she goes through a fallen piece of wall in a burst of debris that makes her Aura sizzle in agony, landing on the dirt like a broken ragdoll.</p><p>She lays there sprawled on the ground for a few seconds as her head stops spinning, slowly regaining her breath and feeling the pink glow around her body flash in and out in a struggle to remain alive.</p><p>“Hey, I’m here,” more pink enters her view in the form of Ren’s worried eyes, looking all over her body. “Are you okay?”</p><p>“I’m good, I think… Aura still kicking…” Nora whispers with a weak thumbs up, feeling it finally setting up again; what little remains of it at least.</p><p>Ren’s expression turns severe and he gently scoops her up in his arms, his eyes darting between her and their enemy. “I’m getting you out of here.”</p><p>“W-What? No freaking way,” she chokes, pushing against his shoulder. In any other situation, she would’ve enjoyed the attention, but there’s too much at stake right now. “We’re not giving up on the Relic, Ren. We have to… We have to take it to the top.”</p><p>Ignoring her plea, Ren tiptoes to a nearby piece of rubble with Nora pressed against his chest, remaining under the cloud of dust the whole time. "We can't beat that man on our own, Nora. Once we regroup with the others we’ll take him on," he suggests, peeking over the rock. “As he is right now, he’s too much for us.”</p><p>"Oh, come on… By the time we find the others the Relic will be on Salem’s lap, or worse," she argues. The last thing she wants to imagine is any of her friends running into Hazel on their own.</p><p>Her partner frowns. “And what do we do? He was already immune to pain before, and now his whole body is as strong as solid diamond. Nothing works against him…”</p><p>“The staff hurt him,” she declares.</p><p>“The staff?”</p><p>“I don’t know why... but the moment I touched it, he felt pain. I’m sure of it.”</p><p>“That doesn’t give us much…” he says after a moment’s consideration, shaking his head. “I doubt he’ll be nice enough to stay still while we pull it out.”</p><p>“Do you have any Dust left?”</p><p>Ren blinks, confused by the sudden question. “Huh? I, ah, yes. I have a couple of Ice and Fire crystals. Why?”</p><p>The little Valkyrie grins from ear to ear. “Because we don’t need to pull it out.”</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>Weiss is desperate.</p><p>Fighting against Emerald’s illusions has always been frustrating, but at least the thief had never taken away the view of her surroundings, those being her only anchor to reality, the only thing she knew was there for certain. Even if she saw familiar faces smiling at her before stabbing her in the back, she could always take distance and assess the situation from afar. But right now, she’s denied them even of that last silver lining.</p><p>No matter how far she runs, the darkness doesn’t disappear. And Watts and his droids maintain their unrelenting fusillade, mercilessly raining bullets on her and slowly eating away her Aura. Even though she’s in constant movement to keep herself from being a sitting duck, she has no order or strategy, she just runs around blindly like a headless chicken.</p><p>“Weiss, help me!”</p><p>“I’m here!”</p><p>“Please, Weiss!”</p><p>“I can’t hold much longer!”</p><p>And worst of all, she can’t even work together with Blake to get out of this. Her cries come from all directions, both close and far away, drowning her real teammate’s voice amidst a dozen imitations. The faunus could be right next to her, struggling for her life, and Weiss would be none the wiser. The only thing she knows for certain is the direction from which the shots come, so each time she’s hit, she aims Myrtenaster in that same trajectory and casts a barrage of arcane missiles with her Semblance; whether or not her attacks hit their mark, she has no way of knowing.</p><p>And what if Blake shoots her by mistake and she attacks her in return? What if they end up fighting each other without knowing it, while Watts and Emerald simply wait until one kills the other?</p><p>...</p><p>This is too much…</p><p>Two more shots hit her back, making her tumble forwards. With a quick twist of her heel, she spins around and points her rapier once more at the source of the fire, but this time she hesitates. There’s no way she’s hitting her enemies like this... They’re probably on the move again before she even casts her missiles. She’s just wasting precious energy. </p><p>So she turns around and keeps running, trying to come up with a plan.</p><p>But there’s nothing.</p><p>Her pulse quickens and her breathing speeds up even more. Fresh tears start running down her cheeks as Blake’s hopeless pleas of help grow louder, turning into an incoherent cacophony that threatens to drive her mad.</p><p>“QUIET!” She finally screams to the world around her, ignoring the tide of voices and the storm of shots and running in a straight line.</p><p>Then she runs into a wall, hitting her head and stumbling backwards while her Aura complains at her recklessness with a hiss. The blow hardly compares to the punishment she’s been receiving until now, but the sudden ringing in her ears feels like a healing balm to her senses, silencing the illusions at least for a few seconds.</p><p>That’s all she needs to focus and make a choice.</p><p>Myrtenaster’s chamber spins and clicks the Ice Dust cartridge into position, then with a simple wave, Weiss conjures a glacier around her, forming a barrier that shuts her off from the battle. She must be quick, or Blake will be on the receiving end of every gun in the room.</p><p>She just needs a second, at least according to Ozpin.</p><p>Her fingers settle on the cold metal ring attached to her belt under the magic cloak. The golden crown, the Relic of Choice, an artifact that allows a person to see a single vision of their future at random, but one in which they will have to make a choice. Ozpin didn’t elaborate more on its properties, except that no matter how many times someone puts it on, it always shows the same vision.</p><p>It’s certainly not the most useful of the Relics, but it’s the only thing she has. And considering their current predicament, her future is limited to the next ten minutes at best, so whatever choice it decides to show her could be the difference between life and death.</p><p>She has nothing to lose and everything to gain.</p><p>Ripping the little string that keeps it attached to her belt, Weiss takes the crown and gently places it on her head.</p><p>...</p><p>The world around her slowly dissolves in a sea of white mist, extending beyond the horizon, and when the ringing disappears, her ears are blessed with the purest silence; she knows this is all happening in her mind, but she takes a moment to bask in the peacefulness.</p><p>Then she hears a faint whisper in the distance in front of her, like an echo traveling from the other side of this haze. It’s clearly beckoning her to follow, so she takes a step forward and walks through the fog, chasing after the sound.</p><p>For several minutes everything remains the same, the infinite mist seemingly as infinite as it appears. But then, the far-off murmur gets closer. She walks faster and it gets closer and closer, until Weiss is able to make out two muffled voices, talking to each other.</p><p>When the whirlwind around her suddenly starts twisting and shaping into strange forms, she stops, allowing the mist to settle. Like a sand castle crumbling down in reverse, the ethereal constructions begin to rise and gain color until their shapes start to make sense; they never really achieve their definite structure though, the mist that forms them keeping them in a feeble gas-like state.</p><p>Bookshelves, walls filled with pictures of people —whose faces remain featureless—, a large carpet with intricate patterns on the floor, an office desk that would make her father boil with jealousy… Whenever this vision has taken her, it’s not the near future she expected.</p><p>“I trust you, more than anyone. You know I do…” Says one of the voices, and it’s one she recognizes very well, more for its upright and diligent tone than anything else.</p><p>A mass of mist swirls in front of the desk, describing the figure of her sister, Winter, only a bit... different. For one, the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth speak of a future even further away than she imagined. But most importantly, her precious Operative outfit is gone, and replaced with the outstanding uniform of the General of the Atlas Military.</p><p>Weiss steps closer, staring into the eyes of her sister and marveling at this singular reunion across time of which Winter is completely unaware. Her eyes, of course, never focus on her little sister, and when Weiss tries to touch her, her hand simply slides into her body like a ghost.</p><p>“Then you have to do this for me, please…” The second voice says —almost begging— from behind her, strangely familiar too.</p><p>A second bubble of mist snakes around over the chair, forming the silhouette of a woman in an ostentatious attire and sitting at the desk, her silken white hair worn in a low ponytail over her right shoulder.</p><p>"Mother...?" Weiss starts, before a wisp of smoke trails down the illusion’s face like a painter’s brush, drawing an all-too-familiar scar across her left eye. “A-Ah...”</p><p>Facing this reflection of her future self, Weiss gets stormed by dozens of questions, but she has no time to ponder over them as the scene unfolds beyond her control. The only thing she can do is step aside and fulfill her role as a mere observer.</p><p>"You are the only one I can turn to, Winter," the older Weiss continues in a desolate tone, hunching over the luxurious desk; the fog further defines her features, especially the tired rings under her eyes. “Please…”</p><p>“Without a physical proof, we can’t file the motion to the Council. It’d be your word against hers,” Winter frowns dejectedly, shaking her head. Despite her adamant stance —unchanged even after who-knows-how-many years—, Weiss can perceive a sense of helplessness emanating from her sister.</p><p>“B-But, surely my word means something. People would know I’m not one to throw those kinds of accusations lightly,” her future self argues, straightening in her seat. Weiss always makes sure her attires are perfect for every occasion —it’s been ingrained into her since she was a child—, so it shocks her to realize the older Weiss’ elegant jacket is unevenly buttoned, adding to her miserable appearance.</p><p>Winter sighs, sagging her shoulders. “Perhaps the citizens of the kingdom, but the international community would side with her on the matter,” she grimaces. “If you take it too far, it could escalate into a full political conflict, and Atlas would be at the center of the maelstrom.”</p><p>The older Weiss suddenly slams her hands on the desk, startling both her sister and her past self. “Then what am I supposed to do?! Sit quietly and do nothing after she took <i>everything</i> from us?!”</p><p>Winter averts her eyes, unable to respond.</p><p>After a couple of seconds, the future Weiss continues, her expression growing somber. “If you won’t help me, then I’ll seek help elsewhere. I know people... Dangerous people, willing to go to any lengths for the right amount.”</p><p>Her sister narrows her eyes. “I will pretend I didn’t hear that...”</p><p>“You think I care what—?!”</p><p>“You’re not our father, Weiss,” Winter cuts her off sharply, raising a threatening finger in front of her. “Do <i>not</i> turn into him.”</p><p>At this point her future self is on the brink of tears, her voice breaking when she begs one last time. “Then help me…”</p><p>They stare at each other for several seconds, the tension between them so thick that even the real Weiss gets nervous despite knowing none of this is actually taking place. Eventually, the future General shakes her head, speaking in a solemn but resigned voice.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Weiss… My duty is to the kingdom and its people. I can’t risk the safety of Atlas over this. Not for you… not for anyone.”</p><p>...</p><p>Weiss’ future self lowers her gaze, her bangs obscuring her eyes.</p><p>“Get out…”</p><p>Winter frowns, honest regret visible through her expression. But she complies and turns around, opening the door to the office and stealing one last glance at her little sister. “I really am sorry...”</p><p>“GET OUT!”</p><p>The General finally leaves, closing the door behind her and leaving the brooding Weiss alone. She breathes faster and faster until she can no longer keep her frustration from exploding, and she screams at the top of her lungs while wiping her desk with her hands, sending pens, stamps and other items crashing violently to the floor. Then she sits down and cups her head in her hands, almost digging her nails into her scalp.</p><p>She remains like that for a long time, enough for the real Weiss to step into the center of the room, trying to make some sense of what she’s just seen. But then her future self suddenly raises her head, wide-eyed and mouth agape like she's come to some sort of realization. Her eyes pierce the real Weiss for a few seconds, even if she knows that’s impossible, before she gets up and storms out of the office.</p><p>The vision then bends around her in a chaotic vortex and turns into a long corridor illuminated by a line of chandeliers, a place she instantly recognizes as belonging to the Schnee Manor. Footsteps echo behind her, and Weiss spins around to find her future self once more, heading towards the backyard in a hurry. Knowing the Relic still hasn’t presented her with the choice, she quickly decides to follow her.</p><p>Halfway through, a faint light appears in the distance, flashing at erratic intervals like a broken lamp; it looks like that’s what future Weiss is chasing.</p><p>When she reaches the end of the corridor, arriving at one of the mansion’s backdoors, she finds the older woman there, standing silently next to the door and looking outside through a window. The light is there, shining brightly near one of the fountains in the backyard, a place Weiss and her sister were particularly fond of for the girl’s training sessions.</p><p>Her future self presses a hand against the window with a forlorn look on her face, and Weiss notices a wide array of emotions flickering across her features. Hesitation, fear, shame… She can’t for the life of her understand what’s going through the older Weiss’ mind, neither what that light is or what it means to her, but something tells her this is it, this is what the Relic wants her to see.</p><p>Then something happens.</p><p>The world around her seems to snap and divide into two realities, two faces of the same mirror. Weiss sees her future self shake her head and turn around, walking back through the corridor and retreating into the shadows, but she also sees another version of her take a deep breath and open the door to the backyard, stepping into the flashing light.</p><p>Ozpin didn’t tell them if the Relic remained impartial to the choice, but in this case it seems like the path it wants her to take is very clear.</p><p>So she steps outside, and in that precise moment the vision starts to fade away. Everything bursts in a cloud of smoke, her future self included, until nothing remains but the weakening light in front her.</p><p>Only now that the rest of the vision has vanished does she realize that it wasn’t a single light she was chasing... but two little stars pressed tightly together.</p><p>...</p><p>A second later everything is pitch black once more.</p><p>She feels the cool air emanating from her ice barrier, the weight of the Relic on her head and the cacophony caused by Emerald’s illusions blasting in her ears.</p><p>Nothing of what she’s just seen makes any sense to her, and it doesn’t help them in any way, but that doesn’t matter; the vision has made one thing clear, and it’s the only thing she cares about right now. Her grip on Myrtenaster tightens, her determination to win stronger than it has been since the fight began, and she shatters the ice barrier to join the fight once more despite the terrible handicap placed on her.</p><p>She’s no longer afraid, because she knows she’s going to find a way out. </p><p>She knows her future will <i>not</i> end today.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Despite her renewed resolve, Weiss still can’t do anything against Emerald’s illusions. And as soon as she bursts out of her ice barrier, their enemy’s attacks become more unrelenting, forcing her to rely on her Semblance more than she would’ve wanted, and causing her already dwindling Aura to grow thinner and thinner.</p><p>She’s not stupid, she knows they must have deduced she carries the Relic when she pulled that little stunt out of the blue, so now they’re focusing all of their attention on her. On the bright side, it means Blake can have a little moment of respite —although she still has no idea how her friend is faring—, but it makes things pretty grim for Weiss. Or it would, if she didn’t know for certain that she’s not going to die.</p><p>But then… How is she going to get out of this?</p><p>They’ve been on the defensive this whole time, throwing wild shots around and hoping one of them happened to hit their foes. But as far as she knows, Watts and Emerald are probably unscathed.</p><p>There is no crazy strategy or plan that could work against this ridiculous handicap, only a miracle could turn the tables: Emerald suddenly getting overwhelmed and being unable to blind the two of them at the same time, any of their friends breaking into the laboratory and forcing her attention away… But there is no time. She can’t just hope for something to happen, even with the knowledge she has.</p><p>…</p><p>Then she realizes something.</p><p>She knows they’re going to win today, that Salem is going to be stopped no matter what. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they have to win this fight. It’s crazy and stupid, and her teammates would beat the daylights out of her for doing it, but there is one thing she can do to get them out of this.</p><p>So Weiss stops running and reaches inside her cloak, grabbing the golden crown again before throwing it away as hard as she can. And just as she predicted, the black shroud blinding her vanishes as soon as the Relic leaves her hand. The laboratory unfolds once more before her eyes, now a complete mess with bullet holes, scorch marks and frozen icicles peppering the walls while the machinery has been reduced to fuming piles of trash. Some of Watts’ droids lay ruined around her —which gives her a faint sense of relief, knowing her desperate counterattacks at least achieved something—, but a lot more are still standing and pointing their weapons at her.</p><p>The man himself is at a safe distance, his suit as spotless as before and showing no signs of weariness.</p><p>“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He gloats with a haughty grin as he lowers his gun and looks at Emerald. Just behind one of the droids, and much closer to her, the green-haired girl holds the Relic carefully in her hands.</p><p>“Weiss!” Blake calls out, arriving at her side with an incredulous look on her face; her brow is covered in sweat and her cloak is in the same pitiful state as hers, but at least she’s alive. “What have you done?!”</p><p>Weiss frowns, wanting to tell her friend the reason behind her gambit but knowing she wouldn’t have the time. In the end she settles for looking her in the eyes and saying, “It’s the right thing to do, trust me…”</p><p>The faunus narrows her golden eyes but doesn’t get to respond as Watts speaks once more.</p><p>“Technically, it was the only sensible thing she could do. I imagine that’s what it showed you, right? That you would’ve died unless you forfeited the Relic to us. Fascinating...” He mutters, mostly to himself. Then he turns to Emerald and extends a slender hand. “Give it to me, girl. We’ve done our job.”</p><p>Emerald, however, doesn’t immediately join his side as ordered. Instead, she keeps staring at the crown in her hands with her brows furrowed.</p><p>“And this thing… You say it shows you the future?” She inquires to no one in particular, her eyes still lingering on the golden ring, as if trying to discern how something so incredible could even work.</p><p>“Girl,” Watts repeats, growing impatient, “bring it to me.”</p><p>But his order falls on deaf ears once more as Emerald looks at him with nothing but spite and suddenly shuts her eyes close, before taking a deep breath and placing the crown on her head. The blue gems garnishing the Relic shine weakly for a mere second and, just as soon, her red eyes snap open as her own journey through the mists of the future concludes. The girl gasps and stumbles backwards, suddenly breathing heavily.</p><p>“No…” She whispers, shaking her head while fresh tears start to pile up in the corners of her eyes.</p><p>“Impetuous children…” Watts sighs with a roll of his eyes, waving his open palm. “Alright, you have your reward: a free glimpse into your future. Now if you please...”</p><p>Emerald slowly turns to him but doesn’t seem to register his words, or she doesn’t care; her expression is frozen in a terrified grimace, like she’s still lost in the vision. Whatever the Relic has shown her, it must have been far more explicit than what it showed Weiss.</p><p>“No, no, no, no!” Suddenly, the thief spins around and kicks the floor, breaking into a run towards the exit.</p><p>“H-Hey! What are you doing?! Get back here!” The doctor shouts, but far too late as the girl flees out of the laboratory, leaving him alone with his droids and the two Huntresses... and taking the Relic and her pesky Semblance with her.</p><p>Weiss and Blake look at each other after the unlikely turn of events, and the tiniest of smirks appears on the heiress’ lips.</p><p>“Told you,” she says.</p><p>“Yeah, but now we have to beat him and chase her down,” the faunus counters, scowling at her.</p><p>“But we don’t have to fight as if we’re trying to hit a piñata.”</p><p>“Can’t argue with that...” Blake grins.</p><p>Right at that instant, the disgraced scientist turns to face them, his visage now a mix of desperation and dread. He activates the control panel on his wrist and orders the droids to open fire without warning, but the Huntresses are already on the move, ignoring the machines altogether and going straight for their maker.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>Every time Nora devises a plan, Ren is always… wary, to say the least. It’s not like she’s unable to come up with good ideas, quite the opposite; she’s planned her fair share of battle strategies during the Vesper March. It’s just that all of her plans always have one thing in common: most of the time, for it to work, someone has to get hurt in the process. ‘High risk, high reward’ as she always says.</p><p>And, since she’s pretty battered already, he’s going to be the one taking the high risk.</p><p>He remains hidden behind a piece of rubble, watching Hazel from a distance. After that close call with Nora, the man has become more cautious in his search, no longer falling for any of Ren’s decoys. But they expected as much.</p><p>Slowly, he crawls out of his hiding spot and breaks into a light sprint, running on his tiptoes. Through the dust, Hazel’s head tilts in his direction, a movement so subtle Ren is barely able to see it. He’s heard his obvious attempt at sneaking up on him... Good, that’s what they wanted. Ren is deliberately making no effort in concealing the sound of his steps, masking his actions as the clumsy charge of a desperate man.</p><p>The trick works, because Hazel doesn’t react to him drawing near except for taking a small step aside, leaving part of his back suspiciously open to an attack.</p><p>Ren takes the bait and closes in, a drop of cold sweat running down his neck as he’s forced to tilt his head back to keep the gigantic silhouette in his line of sight. For an instant, it’s like he’s back at Kuroyuri, all those years ago. A defenseless little boy trying to hide from the big monsters, moving from shadow to shadow, unable to do anything. But he wasn’t alone back then, he wasn’t alone when he finally vanquished the monster that killed his parents, and he’s not alone now. Even though he can’t see her, Ren can almost feel his partner’s presence as if she was right next to him. She’s there, watching over him and ready to jump in his aid at a moment’s notice.</p><p>That moment comes when he’s less than ten feet away from the man. After bracing himself, Ren leaps out of the thick dust cloud floating over the ground, and reaches the top of Hazel’s head in an instant. But in a sudden movement that tops even the young Huntsman’s speed, the giant brawler spins around and traps him in one of his massive claws in a redo of Nora’s previous predicament.</p><p>This time, however, Salem’s underling doesn’t bother with the gentle way of suffocating him as he tried with his partner. Instead, he just raises his other humongous hand in a tight fist, preparing to throw a punch so powerful that would probably blast his head clean off his body. He doesn’t even spare him a word before doing the deed, but there’s a somewhat sorrowful look in his glowing eyes; he doesn’t really want to do this, but they’re standing in the way of his revenge.</p><p>Then, as he prepares to deliver the fatal blow, something small and shiny whistles through the air behind them. A couple of Ice Dust crystals that crash at Hazel’s feet, exploding in a frost claw that erupts from the ground and quickly devours him up to his knees, anchoring him to the floor. With all the strength he has, it would take little effort to break free, but Ren doesn’t give him the chance.</p><p>Clenching his teeth and mentally preparing himself for the pain, he tightens his grip on the Fire Dust crystals he’s been holding the entire time and shatters them in his palms. The resulting fireball engulfs them both, lighting up the whole place. In his current state, Hazel would’ve been able to withstand that kind of detonation without flinching, but with his feet frozen down and stuck to the floor, the force of the blast is enough to make him lose his balance and trip, falling on his back and causing a huge tremor.</p><p>Staggered, he lets go of Ren, who’s sent tumbling away to the floor; he’s covered in a faint cloak of embers, lightly singing his clothes and skin as a result of his Aura shattering after it took the full brunt of the immolation. He quickly pats the small wisps of fire away and turns to the fallen form of their enemy, not wanting to miss the outcome of Nora’s strategy. And he does just in time to see the orange-haired valkyrie in all of her might, surging through the air with Magnhild hoisted over her shoulders, and diving headfirst towards Hazel.</p><p>This is the ‘high reward’ part.</p><p>With a thunderous war cry, Nora drives the head of her hammer right into the tip of the Relic protruding from Hazel’s chest, which acts as a giant nail and plunges even deeper into the man’s flesh, causing him to roar in agony and spit a mouthful of blood. The impact sounds like an ominous bell tong, and creates a shockwave that wipes the dust cloud of the entire room a second time, shaking the ground and throwing Ren almost ten feet away.</p><p>After a few seconds the earthquake stops, when the rumble dies out and all that’s left is silence. He just lays there, sprawled on the floor while staring at the ceiling, soaked in sweat, covered in bruises and light burns, and aching literally everywhere.</p><p>...</p><p>His partner’s big blue eyes suddenly appear in front of him —the rest of her face covered in soot and dirt—, panting. “H-Hey Ren… Taking a nap?”</p><p>“Did I ever tell you I hate your plans?” He blurts, deadpanning at her.</p><p>Nora stares at him with pursed lips, her brows furrowed cutely. “Mmmh, no, never.”</p><p>…</p><p>…</p><p>“Well… I hate your plans.”</p><p>“Whiner…” She chuckles before helping him get on his feet, then immediately frowns when she notices the bright pinkish streaks across the skin on his arms.</p><p>“It’s not serious,” Ren reassures her, leaning on her shoulder. “The Relic?”</p><p>“Pacified,” she nods to the motionless body of Hazel, which has started to shrink back to its normal size, while the unworldly glow permeating his body slowly recedes back into the scepter embedded mid-length into his torso.</p><p>They approach their fallen enemy with a prudent step until they arrive right next to him, like a couple of foxes inspecting a hibernating grizzly. His chest rises and falls in a weak but regular rhythm, and if not for the horrible gouge bleeding out right above the stomach he’d look like he’s simply resting. He’s awake, staring helplessly at the ceiling just like Ren was moments ago. Despite the fact they’ve denied him of his vengeance, he doesn’t seem the slightest bit angry, just… resigned.</p><p>“You better take the staff before one of the others comes looking for it...” Hazel whispers with a distant look, not even turning to look at them.</p><p>Nora and Ren exchange a wary look before he gives her a silent nod. Leaving him to stand on his own, she climbs onto the man’s body —careful not to step on the open wound— and gently grips the golden shaft with both hands.</p><p>“This will probably hurt…” Nora grimaces, glancing at the giant.</p><p>“I don’t feel anything anymore, girl,” he exhales, emotionless. “Go ahead.”</p><p>With a serious nod, his partner wrenches the Relic out in one mighty pull, causing the wound to start bleeding even faster; true to his words, Hazel doesn’t react at all. As Nora jumps down with the gory scepter in her hands, Ren limps his way to him and leans against the man’s side before searching inside his combat outfit for his emergency medical supplies.</p><p>Hazel notices and one his shrinking claws shift, nudging him. “Don’t waste your efforts on me, boy. I’m done.”</p><p>Ren shakes his head. “Maybe I can stabilize you long enough for your comrades to save you.”</p><p>“Comrades, right...” He laughs drily, like he’s told him a sick joke. “Look… If I stand up again, I’ll just chase that poor kid to the ends of Remnant,” he then sighs tiredly, closing his eyes. “I don’t really want that…” </p><p>“And what do you want?” Nora asks.</p><p>“To see her again… I want nothing more than that,” he says. “This is my chance.”</p><p>The young Huntsman chews down on his lip, frowning, before he mutters, “Then this is the worst possible way to see her.”</p><p>After a moment, the man opens his eyes again. “What?”</p><p>“The day I finally meet my parents again, they’ll know all the good things I did, and they’ll be proud of me,” Ren snaps, reaching into his outfit and taking out his supplies nonetheless; he has barely enough bandages to cover the wound and a few medicines to slow down the blood flow, but it'll have to do for now. “If you want to see her again, it should be after you’ve made amends for all the wrongs you’ve done. Only then will you be able to look her in the eyes and expect her to receive you with open arms,” he explains, setting up to work on the injury. “If you join her as you are now, she’ll reject you. I won’t let that happen.”</p><p>Hazel remains silent for a few seconds, his expression hardening.</p><p>“Why do you even care?”</p><p>During a brief instant, the memory from their fight with the Nuckelavee assaults Ren’s mind. The sadness, the rage, the desperation… how they unbalanced him and nearly cost him his friends’ lives. He’s seen those same emotions on the man’s face over and over again since their first encounter, like a sickness slowly eating away at him.</p><p>“Grief can blind even the most peaceful of men,” he simply says, looking away from his work only for a second to glance at his partner. Nora throws him a reassuring smile. “But that doesn’t mean they can’t get over it and grow stronger.”</p><p>...</p><p>His glare softens into a self-deprecating frown, and Hazel averts his eyes. “Good words. You’re wise for your age... but I don’t think I’m strong enough. I’ve never been. What if it were to blind me again?”</p><p>“Then good luck getting past all of us,” Nora chimes in, puffing out her chest.</p><p>Her childish response actually gets a small chuckle out of the dying man, who lies still as Ren finishes his meager first aid. “Well… It’s not like I’m in a position to refuse, even if I wanted to. Do as you please, I’ll die anyway.”</p><p>“We’ll see about that,” Ren concludes stubbornly.</p><p>The bandages are already stained red, but the medicines should give him some more time until he bleeds out completely. He can only hope the last traces of the Relic’s energy keeps him alive until they can evacuate him out of the castle. The sooner they go and fulfill their mission, the more chances the man will have to survive, so they need to leave immediately.</p><p>“I think I understand now… why she hates you all so much,” Hazel mumbles. The words are spoken softly and out of nowhere, as if they were directed to himself, so they pay them no mind.</p><p>“I’ve done what I can for now, but we’ll be back soon. I promise,” it’s all that Ren tells the man as he nods to Nora and the two take off, but not before Hazel raises his voice, calling out to him.</p><p>“What is your name, boy?”</p><p>He stops to glance one last time at their former enemy and says, “Lie Ren.”</p><p>And then they’re gone, leaving the bleeding man alone amidst the wreckage.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p><p>“What’s the matter? Not so smug now?”</p><p>Yang doesn’t rise to the taunt and simply ducks out of the way of his kick, quickly adopting her boxing stance with her balled fists in front of her face before launching a quick succession of punches right at his head. Mercury flows between them, swatting her hands away with disturbing ease before stepping into close quarters and digging a knee into the pit of her stomach. Only her quick reflexes keep her from dropping to the floor, managing at the last moment to jump back and create some distance.</p><p>“Can’t keep your head in the game, prettyface?” He jabs again with a lopsided smirk.</p><p>She clenches her teeth —her eyes burning with crimson fire—, but doesn’t respond. It pains her to admit it, but she can’t concentrate. </p><p>As if to further prove his point, she unconsciously steals a glance at the other side of the corridor behind her, where Qrow is desperately trying to fend off both the faunus psychopath and Roman’s former sidekick… for her sake. Ever since they started fighting, Neo has tried on several occasions to focus her killing intents on her, but Qrow stopped her every time with a swipe of his sword, keeping her from joining Mercury and ganging up on her.</p><p>If Yang was the one in that position, she would’ve been dead by now, but the more seasoned Huntsman is managing to hold his ground… for now. His Semblance is the best weapon against these crazy odds, keeping him alive as Tyrian and Neo fail to coordinate their attacks. They keep stumbling into each other, their unpredictable and selfish fighting styles more of a hindrance than an aid to the other. Yet little by little, they start to overwhelm him. Every few parries, one of them manages to land a score on his Aura. With every passing second, the noose around his neck grows tighter.</p><p>She’s learned to control her emotions, to use them just in the right amount, to the point that she doesn’t fully give into her Semblance anymore. But trying to control herself while seeing her uncle struggle against an uphill climb that keeps getting steeper… is like trying to contain a wild river behind a cardboard wall. Her heart keeps hammering against her chest at the thought of seeing him fall, and the sudden need to help her uncle makes her clumsy and prone to make mistakes.</p><p>Mistakes that Mercury is more than able to exploit.</p><p>“I have to say... For a second there, I thought you got me. You’ve made one hell of an improvement, I’ll give you that,” the silver-haired assassin goes on, following her eyes to the other battle. He sneers, focusing his gaze on Qrow. “But you still carry too much deadweight on you, blondie. Too many attachments.”</p><p>“And you don’t know anything about attachments, do you? Must be quite the miserable life…” Yang scowls, trying to focus her attention on him once more.</p><p>Mercury shrugs nonchalantly. “Not really. Once Salem gathers all the Relics, she’ll have the entire world in her hands, and I’ll be there to enjoy the spoils. I'll have everything I ever wanted.”</p><p>“Death, you mean. ‘Cause if she has her way, that’s all she’s going to give you and the rest of Remnant,” Yang laughs sardonically.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah… I’ve heard that song before. Forgive me if I don’t buy it,” he rolls his eyes while pacing around her, his metallic heels clicking against the floor. "Besides, why are we talking about my death when you and that old man are the ones about to kick the bucket?" He chuckles. "You better hurry. I don't think he's gonna hold up much lon—"</p><p>A volley of shotgun rounds cuts him off, but he evades it by doing a backflip and landing safely some feet away, smirking.</p><p>"How rude…"</p><p>The young assassin then charges at her with mercurial speed and they engage in a trade of blows once again. And this time, Yang tries to put all of herself into the fight; throwing punches around recklessly would only give him the upper hand, and she can’t help Qrow if the guy beats her to a pulp. She dodges the first axe kick stepping to the side, and he follows it by spinning around and trying to get her head with a roundhouse, but she drops just in time as his heel passes, gracing her locks, before swiping at his foot. It’s not fast enough, and Mercury simply jumps and rolls to the side, shooting back a blast of wind that catches her in the shoulder and nearly makes her trip.</p><p>There’s the sound of metal clashing against metal in the background, but Yang tries to ignore it and braces herself; she has to believe Qrow will be able to manage until she’s dealt with this asshole. But as the battle progresses, the grunts and distressed roars of her uncle keep throwing her off balance. Against her own will, she betrays a second concerned glance at him, and that little slip costs her dearly. A devastating kick aimed at her cheek makes her head snap to the side as her whole body takes off from the ground, spinning in the air before crashing on the floor on the other side of the corridor.</p><p>Through her clouded vision and her ringing ears, she sees Mercury —a smug and cruel grin plastered on his face— leap high above her and ready a guillotine kick that will shatter the remains of her Aura and seal her fate. Yang fights against the numbness of her limbs and slowly climbs to her knees, but she’s not fast enough to avoid the attack. Clenching her teeth and clumsily shielding her head behind her arms, she shuts her eyes close and prays to be able to withstand the blow...</p><p>…!</p><p>But for the second time today, something deflects the attack with a loud metallic bang. She feels the heat of sparks as they rain down on her skin while she opens her eyes again and, through the gap in her arms, takes in the view of her savior.</p><p>“M-Mom?”</p><p>Raven is standing in front of her, crimson blade clasped in one hand while the other is raised to shield her away from Mercury; the man’s expression is one of utter shock and fear, as much as he tries to hide it. Yang’s heart drowns in a storm of emotions at her mother’s sudden arrival: disbelief, fear, apprehension, relief, happiness… But she doesn’t let them cloud her judgement and make her forget about the situation. In the distance, Qrow seems equally stunned to see his twin, but the expression is wiped from his face as he’s immediately forced to defend himself from Tyrian and Neo’s restless assault.</p><p>Yang frowns, trying and failing to get on her feet. “H-Help Qrow,” she mutters, but Raven doesn’t respond. “Mom, go help Qrow!”</p><p>Slowly tearing her eyes away from Mercury, her mother peeks at him as he struggles to contain his enemies down the hall, then back at her with her brows furrowed; faint twirls of pink energy start blazing around her eyes. “You can barely fight, Yang,” she points out in a somber tone, tightening her grip on her sword. “If I go, he’ll kill you…”</p><p>“I can take care of myself! Help him!” Yang growls, falling on her knees when she tries to stand up again.</p><p>Her mother’s hard glare pierces her for a brief second before she turns around and lashes out at Mercury, ignoring her pleas. </p><p>Unlike the one before, this fight is almost a joke. For all of the young assassin’s skill, he’s simply outclassed against her mother’s swordsmanship, reducing his strategy to jump back and try to deflect her blade with desperate kicks; the Maiden’s powers only make that strength gap even wider. Raven is practically a blur as she hacks and slices like a wild beast at the young, much less experienced man, all consideration for elegance and efficiency discarded now that the life of her brother lies in how fast she can cut down this minor threat.</p><p>The world around her seems to slow down as she glances between the two siblings with her pulse racing and her breath coming out in ragged gasps. A white flash appears at the edge of her vision during the chaos, and she turns around to see Mercury’s Aura shattering, the spiky-haired man falling on his back and immediately trying to crawl away from Raven, wide-eyed and completely covered in sweat. He doesn’t move an inch before the bandit’s long blade effortlessly slices through his vest in a wide swipe that draws a line of blood several feet across the corridor. Mercury opens his mouth in a silent scream as the air quickly leaves his body through his open chest.</p><p>His convulsing form abandons both Yang and Raven’s sight as the latter doesn’t wait to see him die and spins around on her heels, flicking the fresh blood off her sword and moving in to assist her twin… only to stop dead in her tracks. </p><p>Yang’s eyes open wide.</p><p>There’s a red flash.</p><p>Both Tyrian and Neo are jumping away from a devastating slash of her uncle’s broadsword. The maniac manages to keep his neck away from the deadly edge by mere inches, while the petite criminal is caught in Harbinger’s path and brutally severed in two segments… that shatter mid air like broken shards of glass. Qrow’s Aura dies with a strangled gasp as Neo comes back into existence right behind, and her stiletto blade erupts from his chest at heart’s level.</p><p>The world grows quiet, the only sound rising above the silence being Yang and Raven’s overlapping voices as they cry out his name in unison.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Although I knew the new seasons would soon screw over my canon, it's a little sad to see it happening already... but that's how it is. I won't say anything in case someone still hasn't seen it for X reasons. If you're keeping up with the series, you know what I'm talking about.</p><p>That being said, jokes on you RT! You can't one-up me if I one-up myself! HAHA!</p><p>...</p><p>Please forgive me for this.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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